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Rahul calls Pradhan’s resignation superficial, attacks Shah, calls RSS real enemy
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi lashed out at the RSS, accusing it of capturing the soul of the education system
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday called Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation amid student protests over examination irregularities “superficial”, and attacked Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s ideological fount, as “the real enemy” of the students for “capturing” the country’s education system. He blamed Union home minister Amit Shah for the police excesses and the use of pellet guns against protesting students, triggering protests in the Lok Sabha and demands for an apology.
Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju called the allegation against Shah serious and a breach of the Union home minister’s privilege. “Rahul Gandhi must apologise .Take back your words. On what basis could you level this allegation? How did you know? Can we say that you have murdered someone? You should apologise. We will not accept such allegations against a responsible person.”
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav defended Gandhi and said the government should clarify who ordered firing at students if the Leader of the Opposition has made an allegation.
Gandhi, who was speaking during the debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill introduced in response to the protests, insisted either Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Shah could have authorised “the use of force,” triggering more protests.
Rijiju reiterated the demand for an apology and asked Gandhi to show the order if he claims that the home minister ordered the firing. “How can you make such irresponsible statements?”
Speaker Om Birla cited House rules and said they do not permit any such allegations without prior notice and proof. “Is there a report of an inquiry commission? Is there any order? The rules do not permit any member to make such allegations without advance notice.”
Gandhi tried to continue his speech, but the House was adjourned twice amid disruptions. He lashed out at the RSS, accusing it of capturing the soul of the education system. He referred to Union minister Rajnath Singh’s 2015 statement that their ministers never resign and called Pradhan’s resignation superficial because he never ran the education ministry. “It was run by the RSS and the OSD [officer on special duty] sitting in the minister’s office. So, what the students are irritated about is that they are not allowed to be students anymore. They have to buy the nonsensical history the RSS fantasises about. Every single university has a vice chancellor from RSS.”
Gandhi called the RSS the real enemy of the students and added that Pradhan is a symbol. “They are the people who are not letting you be students and making you Andh Bhakts [blind followers]. The parents of these children did not dare to face the BJP or the RSS. But these children stood there.”
The BJP lawmakers objected to the use of the “unparliamentary word” Andh Bhakt. As the BJP lawmakers protested, Rajnath Singh and Rijiju asked Birla to remove the expression from the record. Singh urged ruling bloc lawmakers to listen to Gandhi when he paused his speech.
Gandhi said he has some experiences of facing the RSS and Modi. “The game is about facing your own fear. That is what the students did and overcame fear. They want to know why they are not getting jobs... They ask why you attack different religions, but you could not do anything.”
He hailed the student protests and narrated his conversation with students. Gandhi said he was very excited, reassured by what “the future of the country” did on the streets. “This was not anger, not violence, not hatred. This was a deep expression of the youth of this country, of the future generation of this country.”
Gandhi said all political parties must respect this expression, including the BJP. “I am pretty certain that if my friends in the BJP were to go and ask their own children what they felt about what their brothers and sisters were doing, they would find agreement among their own children. There is nothing wrong with what has happened. Every Indian should be proud.”
Pradhan resigned on Saturday following weeks of protests that brought central Delhi to a halt and energised the Opposition. The students called off their sit-in in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar after the resignation.
The resignation was the first time that a popular street protest forced a Union minister in the National Democratic Alliance government’s three terms to step down. It came days after students defied police barricading to join what became the largest street protests in Modi’s third term. Police came under fire over allegations of excessive force used to scatter crowds.
