Indore, September 19, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday criticised the education system, examination process and youth-related policies while addressing the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore.
Rahul Gandhi said the responsibility for running the education system rests with the Union government, but claimed that the system was moving in the opposite direction.
He alleged that the country’s education system was being “rewound”, saying that while IITs and schools were built earlier, the process was now being reversed.
Presenting figures through slides, Rahul Gandhi claimed that the Union government’s education expenditure had declined from 4.6 per cent of the budget before 2014 to 2.6 per cent currently. He further alleged that Rs 7.7 lakh crore meant for education had gone into the hands of billionaires.
Comparing students with what he described as “Andhbhakts” or blind followers, Rahul Gandhi said students ask questions and remain curious, while blind followers, according to him, spread hatred instead of love and display arrogance rather than humility and honesty.
On the examination system, he said some candidates may also have made mistakes, but their trust in the system had been broken. Students in the audience responded by saying, “Sir, we have lost to the system.”
Rahul Gandhi alleged that corrupt individuals within the system leak question papers for money and jeopardise the future of lakhs of students.
“If corrupt individuals remain part of the examination process and the system itself becomes corrupt, the loss will be borne by the students,” he said.
During the programme, an MBBS student claimed that for the past eight years, 13 per cent of posts in every recruitment were being kept on hold after the preliminary, mains and interview stages. The student said around four lakh youth, including 87,000 directly affected candidates, had been impacted, while the Union government repeatedly cited court cases for delays in announcing results.
The student also claimed that many candidates had become overage while waiting for appointments.
Rahul Gandhi said education was not a luxury but a right of every student. He said the Union government’s responsibility was to take a child from kindergarten and mid-day meals through school and college and ultimately to employment.
“Students form the foundation of the nation, and the system must provide them education and job opportunities,” he said.
Describing the theme of the Indore programme as “System versus Students”, Rahul Gandhi said young people would explain how the system was affecting their future.
The event is part of the ongoing ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ series, which has previously been held in Kota, Dehradun and Pune.
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