New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said thousands of students in Maharashtra are out on the streets because their faith in the system has been broken.
He urged the BJP-led government to hear them and act at once, cautioning that the “Chhatron ki Goonj” will only intensify until justice is delivered.
His comments came as the Maharashtra government constituted a high-level panel to examine the state’s recruitment examination framework after tribal students and job aspirants protested over substandard hostel facilities, student safety and alleged exam paper leaks.
The government has also agreed to major demands raised by the agitators.
‘Students Tormented By BJP Govt’
In a Hindi post on X, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said, “In Maharashtra, thousands of students are on the streets, protesting peacefully – the reason isn’t just one exam or recruitment, but a trust that’s been shattered by the entire system.”
He added, “Whether it’s the central or state government, every student is tormented by the BJP government.”
Gandhi ran through the list of students’ grievances, saying, “Paper leaks, stalled recruitments, the unbearable cost of education, inhumane conditions in hostels, food like poison, fraud in DBT.”
He also said, “And now, they’ve seized control of a constitutional body like MPSC and destroyed its credibility.”
Panel To Overhaul Exam System
He said every demand being raised by students for a secure future was justified. “The government must listen to their voice and act immediately – otherwise, this ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ will only grow louder until justice is served,” he said.
The committee set up by the Maharashtra government will undertake a comprehensive review of the existing recruitment examination system and recommend steps to make it more transparent, secure, reliable and candidate-friendly, as reported by India Today.
The committee’s mandate covers every stage of the exam process: framing and vetting question papers, maintaining confidentiality and secure custody of papers, managing and securing exam centres, leveraging technology, checking malpractice, improving coordination between agencies, setting up grievance redressal, and enhancing the overall experience for candidates.
This follows large-scale protests by tribal students and job aspirants in Maharashtra over poor hostel facilities, safety concerns and alleged paper leaks, with Gandhi throwing his weight behind the demonstrators and the state government ordering a comprehensive review of the recruitment examination system.