Independent Morning Bureau. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, while addressing the crowd of thousands of students and youth gathered at the “Students' Echo” program in Indore, said that students are the future of India and without them no country can become strong. He said that students are curious, not hating, humble, fearless, tolerant and honest. But today the students of India are not happy. Because the students are very upset. There is a lot of pressure on them. They can't see the future.
Rahul Gandhi said that the country is under the control of a system with 6 people sitting at the top. Showing a slide, he said that Narendra Modi, who is involved in this, runs the entire system. Amit Shah instigates the nation, gets students beaten with sticks and nails. Ajit Doval spies on all of us and gives information to Modi-Shah. Mohan Bhagwat talks about ideology and Adani-Ambani finance this entire system.
Rahul Gandhi said that this system does not need students, it needs blind devotees. Students always ask questions. This is the reason why this system feels threatened by the students. This system is afraid of students because students ask how two people captured the entire system. The student asks why Amit Shah's son was made the captain of Indian cricket without playing cricket. He said that the system hates students, loves blind devotees.
Rahul Gandhi said that the system of this government only wants blind followers because blind followers talk with hatred and spread hatred. A student is honest and a blind devotee is a liar. A blind devotee says that India did not get independence. He says that we do not want development. They say that Modi ji is the incarnation of Vishnu. But a blind devotee will never ask why the condition of schools is bad? Why is the infrastructure collapsing? Why are papers leaking in the country? Whereas our students ask these questions.
Rahul Gandhi said, the biggest thing is that the people in the system want 'blind devotees' in the country, but do not make their children blind devotees, their children study in English schools, study abroad and then on coming back, they are put at the head of some institution or business. He alleged that students are questioning the system, in which Adani, Ambani, Jai Shah and others are involved, but blind devotees oppose them.
Rahul Gandhi also raised the issue of education infrastructure in the program. He claimed that 10 lakh posts of teachers are vacant in the country. One lakh schools have been closed, of which 55 percent are in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The situation is such that only 14 out of 100 children can get a hostel, the infrastructure collapses and the students are in danger. This happens only when the government invests less money in education.
Rahul Gandhi said that education is the right of every student in the country. It is the job of the government to complete this chain of kindergarten, school and mid-day meal, college-university and employment. He said that education in the country is the responsibility of the government, but today education is being weakened. In the UPA government, 4.6% of the budget used to go to education, which has now been reduced to 2.6%. In the last 10 years, 1.5 crore scholarships have been snatched away. Today, 10 lakh teacher posts are lying vacant in India.
During the program, students raised the issue of ban on 13 percent reservation in recruitment examinations in Madhya Pradesh. A young woman told Rahul Gandhi that despite passing the Madhya Pradesh government examinations, many candidates like her are worried because 13 percent of the appointments have been stopped due to legal disputes. The issue of 13 percent reservation in Madhya Pradesh is related to the controversial 87:13 formula. Rahul Gandhi offered to join the ongoing demonstration of teacher post candidates in Madhya Pradesh.
A student from Dewas claimed that when they raised the issue of irregularities in the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC), an FIR was lodged and they were sent to jail. Suraj Thakur of Raisen district said that there was a vacancy of Civil Judge in Madhya Pradesh in the year 2022, in which there were 121 posts for tribal candidates. But the BJP government did not give job to the tribal youth on even a single post. Did he not find even a single youth worthy of becoming a judge? Actually, the BJP government does not want any tribal to become a civil judge or come into the system.
Rahul Gandhi also mentioned in the program the building that collapsed in Satya Niketan area of Delhi, in which 7 students were crushed to death. A student from Madhya Pradesh was also among those who died in this accident. While showing the video, Rahul Gandhi said that when the government invests less money in education, it directly impacts the students and the infrastructure collapses. Watch this video to understand why students are in danger. The family members of a student who died in the Satya Niketan accident came on stage and expressed their pain in front of everyone. Rahul Gandhi assured him of help.
In the end, Rahul Gandhi said that we want the students to regain their broken hopes and start believing in education and the system again. Students should take the country forward with their strengths – curiosity, honesty, fighting spirit, love, and kindness. The violence and hatred that is being spread in the country today can only be eradicated by students, blind devotees can never eradicate it. We want an India of students, not of blind followers.