With a microphone in hand, a PowerPoint presentation playing on a large screen behind him, video clips shown at intervals, and thousands of students seated in front of him, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s style at the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ event in Indore was more like that of a professor than a conventional politician.
Rahul Gandhi’s ‘class’, which began around 7 pm, lasted a full hour. Instead of delivering a conventional speech, he interacted with the students. He presented his views in a system-versus-students class, dividing it into four main chapters…
Here is what Rahul said on each chapter, in sequence…
Chapter 1: Students are under pressure
Rahul Gandhi said the education and overall environment available to students are crucial to the country’s future. He said students are under pressure today and that education is still not accessible to every child.
Students from Madhya Pradesh then raised their concerns. Sapna Gurjar from Rajgarh said around 10,000 young people could not get appointments despite clearing the examination because 13% of the posts had been withheld over OBC reservation.
Yashika Dani highlighted problems in nursing education in Madhya Pradesh. She said examinations were not being conducted on time and results were also being delayed.
Sapna Gurjar of Rajgarh and Yashika voiced their concerns.
Chapter 2: Rahul said – System is uncomfortable with students who ask questions
Rahul Gandhi alleged that the government does not like students who ask questions. Using the term ‘blind devotees’, he said people who do not ask questions are more acceptable to the government. In support of his claim, he also showed several video clips.
Victim’s family recounts ordeal on stage
During the event, Rahul Gandhi showed a video clip of an accident in Delhi linked to the death of a student and called the deceased student’s father and sister onto the stage. The father said his son’s death was not merely an accident but the result of the system’s failure.
On the same issue, Radha Malviya from Ujjain said that living and studying in cities was becoming increasingly expensive. According to her, house rent rises by 10% every year, while the housing allowance is ₹2,000 a month.
Speaking on stage with the grandfather of Dewas resident Arpit Jaj, who was killed in the Delhi accident.
Chapter 3: Rahul’s 6 faces of the system
In the third chapter, Rahul Gandhi mentioned six people who influence the country’s system. According to him, they include Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, NSA Ajit Doval, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, and industrialists Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani.
- Narendra Modi (Prime Minister): Rahul Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the top of the system, uses fear and control against students.
- Amit Shah (Home Minister): Rahul Gandhi described Amit Shah as the system’s ‘enforcer’ and held him responsible for police action during student protests. He also questioned how Amit Shah’s son had secured a top position in cricket administration despite the presence of cricketers such as Sachin Tendulkar.
- Ajit Doval (NSA): Rahul Gandhi alleged that National Security Adviser Ajit Doval monitors and controls students’ phones.
- Mohan Bhagwat (RSS chief): Rahul Gandhi alleged that thousands of crores are being given to institutions affiliated with the RSS to run schools, colleges and other institutions.
- Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani: Rahul Gandhi questioned why the country’s business sector is allegedly being concentrated in the hands of a few large business groups and what role Adani and Ambani play in this.
Rahul accused these figures of taking control of the system.
Chapter 4: Rahul claims education budget benefits billionaires
Rahul Gandhi presented several figures related to the education budget through a PowerPoint presentation.
Share of the Budget: According to Rahul Gandhi, 4.6% of the total budget was spent on education in 2014, but this has now fallen to 2.6%.
Scholarships: Rahul Gandhi claimed that scholarships for 1.5 crore children had been discontinued over the past 10 years.
Teacher Shortage: Rahul Gandhi said that around 10 lakh teaching posts were vacant across the country.
Benefit to Billionaires: Rahul Gandhi alleged that billionaires had benefited from the ₹7.7 lakh crore spent on education over the past 11 years.
During the event, a tribal student from Khargone asked why the poor could not receive affordable education if the government could provide land to influential people at concessional rates.
Another young woman said that she had passed the teacher recruitment examination in 2023 but had still not received an appointment. She questioned the government’s policy over this.
Rahul Gandhi claimed that the education budget fell from 4.6% to 2.6% after 2014.
From Kota to Indore: A different issue in every city
Indore was the fifth programme of the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign. Programmes had previously been held in Kota, Dehradun, Prayagraj and Pune, each focusing on different student issues.
In Rajasthan’s Kota, the discussion focused on academic and competitive examination pressure, while the issue of paper leaks was raised in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
Education and unemployment were discussed in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, while equality, safety, and patriarchy affecting female students were discussed in Pune, Maharashtra.
