Rahul Gandhi Tears Into Government, Calls Education System Extortion Mechanism

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday demanded a complete overhaul of the country's education sector. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha accused the Centre and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan of ignoring systemic corruption claiming they chose to remain silent instead of taking responsibility.

"India's education system has now become a dishonest extortion mechanism," Rahul said in a post on X.

The Congress leader urged students to gather in Dehradun on July 17, 2026, to strengthen the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' campaign while planning to hold similar public meetings across other cities.

Corruption and Paper Leaks

"Corrupt, unjust, biased, dishonest – these four words are not mine, these are what the country's students are using today for India's education system," Rahul said in the post.

The Leader of Opposition in the Parliament ripped into the government claiming that corruption gad given birth to the paper leak mafia and that the education minister had shied away from accountability.

"The system that was meant to prepare children for their future is today pushing them and their families into debt, stress and despair. It is this corruption that has given birth to the paper leak mafia, which robs years of hard work from millions of preparing students in one fell swoop," Rahul said.

He also questioned vendors and officials getting promotions even as students were punished with no fault of their own.

"Here, guilty vendors and officials get tenders and promotions. And who gets the punishment? The students, who are left alone with their shattered dreams. The Modi government and the education minister are watching all this. But they have chosen silence – turning their face away from accountability. And the media? Just a long silence. Enough is enough – now is the time for a revolution in education," he said.

The Kota Campaign Launch

Kota hosted the first rally of the initiative on June 17, 2026. There, Gandhi called the academic structure a "rejection system" instead of a selection process. He said the current setup places immense financial pressure and mental strain on ordinary families. The Congress leader also described the existing framework as "extremely stressful and unfair".

At the Rajasthan event, Gandhi said the country's youth face "too much pain, stress and unhappiness," adding that the current academic setup crushes children under immense pressure. He made these remarks while discussing unemployment and paper leaks with the gathered students.

Earlier, Dharmendra Pradhan had hit back at the Congress leader stating that Gandhi was playing "low-level politics" and trying to "create anarchy" just days before the June 21, 2026, NEET-UG re-examination. He added that these actions aimed to "derail students' preparations".