NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday upped the ante against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah, accusing them of “doling out pardons” instead of apologising to the students for the alleged police brutality against them during the protest march in Delhi on July 20.A day after his “Chaatron Ki Goonj” event at Prayagraj, Rahul, in a social media post on X, said that students are the light of the nation and he stands with them with “full strength.”“‘I have no way out left now’ – This is what a student said to me yesterday in Prayagraj. Years of preparation, sold the family land, parents’ debts, and still nothing to show for it. This defeat is not his. This is the defeat of that system which refused to reward his hard work,” Rahul Gandhi said.“Thirteen days have passed – not a word has come from home minister Amit Shah’s mouth. Instead of apologizing, Modi ji is doling out pardons. Amit Shah ji, don’t think for a moment that we will stop demanding accountability. Lathis and pellets rained down on children on the streets of the capital – and you didn’t say a word. Whether today or tomorrow, you will have to answer for this crime. Students are the light of the nation, and I stand with them with my full strength,” he added.Earlier on Saturday, Rahul Gandhi said the country’s youth were being trapped in a “chakravyuh”, with youngsters spending lakhs and crores on educational certificates that offered no guarantee of employment.“Today, education certificates have no meaning in India because they cannot give you a job,” the Congress leader said.
Share your thoughts in the comments
Be respectful · TOI community guidelines
Addressing the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme at KP College Ground, Rahul cautioned youngsters against getting trapped in the “intoxication” of making Instagram reels, saying social media was being used to keep them occupied as jobs and opportunities shrink. “You make reels and work on Blinkit-like platforms because there is no job for you in this country,” he said, describing the trend as a “dreaded intoxication” and warning that youngsters were being turned into “bandhua mazdoor” (bonded labourers).The Congress leader said that avenues in manufacturing, entrepreneurship, public and private sector jobs, corporate, IT and banking were shrinking, with AI increasingly being used by influential corporate houses. He also alleged that people associated with RSS ideology had been appointed to head various institutions, affecting the entire system.Despite his criticism, Rahul said the country’s youth had “lighted the path” towards a promising future.