RSS has taken control of India’s education system: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has said that the BJP’s ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has taken control of India’s education system, asserting the recent nationwide student protests were not merely against examination irregularities but against what he described as an attempt to impose an ideological agenda on the country’s youth.
According to Kashmir Media Service, speaking during the Lok Sabha debate on the Public Examinations (Amendment) Bill, Rahul Gandhi said that the RSS had “captured the soul of the system” by exercising control over educational institutions across India. He said that students were being denied the freedom to pursue their aspirations, express themselves and question the system. “They are not allowed to be students. They are expected to accept the RSS’s version of history,” Gandhi said.
The Congress leader said that universities across India had been brought under RSS influence, adding that “every university has an RSS-backed Vice-Chancellor” and describing former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan as “only a symbol.” “Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation was only superficial. He never ran the Education Ministry. The RSS runs it,” he said.
Praising the youth-led protests over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, Gandhi said the demonstrations represented the aspirations and courage of India’s younger generation rather than anger or hatred.
Addressing the protesters, Gandhi said they had rejected attempts to turn them into andbhakts (blind followers). “This is the soul of India saying: we will never become your andhbhakts. You will not define our future,” he said.
He further said the students had overcome fear and challenged what he described as the BJP-RSS campaign to intimidate them, while questioning the government’s failure to create employment opportunities and its treatment of religious minorities.
Gandhi also criticized the Modi government over repeated examination paper leaks, saying harsher punishments alone would not resolve the crisis. He called for accountability, action against organised cheating networks, greater transparency in the examination system and comprehensive reforms to address systemic failures affecting millions of students.
Targeting Home Minister Amit Shah, Gandhi said that the government was evading accountability during the parliamentary debate, adding that Shah avoided participating in the discussion.
He also accused the Home Minister of ordering Indian forces to open fire on student protesters and use pellet ammunition during the recent demonstrations, reiterating allegations made during his address in the Lok Sabha.
