NEW DELHI: Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi the ‘most youth-hostile Prime Minister in India’s history’. He also criticised the use of tear gas and lathi charge against students protesting the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, saying they were only demanding a fair education system.In a video statement shared on X, Rahul alleged that students protesting for a fair education system were being treated like criminals instead of being heard.“This country has a majority of young people. Prime Minister Modi is the most anti-youth Prime Minister India has ever had. The boys and girls who are walking the streets of Delhi are not criminals. They are demanding their rights. Their rights are to have an education system that respects them, an education system that is fair and an education system that is working,” Rahul said.He criticised the police action against protesters, saying, “There is absolutely nothing wrong in what they are doing. It is disgusting what the government is doing and what the police is doing. Tear-gassing students and lathi-charging students is not democratic. It is not India’s way and it is not the way this should be done.”Rahul said the protesters’ demands were legitimate and urged the Prime Minister to act on them.“The Prime Minister should accept these demands and do something about it. Everybody is sick and tired of the way our education system is running. Everybody is sick and tired of how the RSS has captured our education system and how all our institutions are being run by one organisation,” he said.Claiming that the Congress had been raising concerns over the education system for years, Rahul added, “This is a natural response that the young people of India are making and it should be respected. We’ve been raising this issue not for weeks or months. We’ve been raising it for years. There’s a fundamental problem and Modi disrespects all the young people of this country. All they believe in is Asatya and Hinsa, which are anti-Indian principles.“In a separate post on X, Congress MP alleged that PM Modi had failed to act against Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan despite repeated examination controversies.“Prime Minister Modi is the most youth-hostile Prime Minister in India’s history—so youth-hostile that he can’t even demand the resignation of a failed Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan,” Gandhi wrote.He further claimed, “152 paper leaks. 7.5 crore students victimised. And not a single guilty person punished. Who got the punishment? The hardworking youth.”Referring to the police action, Lok Sabha LoP said, “When these children raised legitimate questions about education, they were met with batons and detention. The criminals who leaked the papers roam free, while the students raising valid issues are dragged around and beaten. This government isn’t just failing the youth—it is pouncing on them.”His remarks came as the protests intensified outside Parliament, where members of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) attempted to march towards Parliament demanding accountability over the alleged paper leak and the resignation of Pradhan.Delhi Police used mild force to disperse protesters after they attempted to breach barricades. Police said several personnel were injured during the clashes after stones were allegedly thrown at security personnel.Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also criticised the police action, questioning why students protesting over issues related to the education system were being met with tear gas and baton charges.Delhi Police, meanwhile, denied claims by the CJP that its founder Abhijeet Dipke had been detained during the protest, saying he was ‘available on stage’ and dismissing reports of his detention as ‘entirely false.’Security remained tightened across New Delhi as prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) continued to remain in force.
