Rahul Gandhi, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, said the Opposition will continue to press for a detailed discussion in Parliament on the alleged police action against protesting students and the wider examination crisis facing the country.
Gandhi took to social media after meeting the Lok Sabha Speaker together with Opposition members of parliament and others yesterday to say that the demand was straightforward: Parliament needs to address “brutality” for students as well as the government’s culpability on the examination system.
“Students were beaten for asking legitimate questions about their own future,” Gandhi said, and he strongly criticized the treatment of protesters who had gathered to raise concerns about education and examination irregularities.
The Congress leader questioned the purpose of Parliament if it could not talk of the future of the country’s youth. The Opposition won’t allow the matter to be ignored or buried, he said.
The development came a day after Opposition parties raised concerns over education reforms, alleged examination irregularities and student protesters on the first day of the Monsoon session of Parliament.
Thousands of students and young protesters had marched along to Parliament and the demonstration ended with police clashes with protesters. Police used lathicharge and tear gas to sweep the crowd away as tensions boiled over. Police and protesters have given very different accounts of the events and the police accused protesters of aggressive behaviour and violent behaviour, while protesters say police used excessive force.
The Opposition has demanded that the government answer questions about the examination crisis and the concerns raised by students. The issue has become a major political flashpoint, with leaders calling for greater accountability and reforms in the country’s education and examination systems.
Gandhi said the Opposition would continue to make sure that students would be heard in the streets and Parliament. His words suggest that this issue is certain to continue to be at the centre of the conflict between the government and Opposition in Monsoon session.
The Opposition’s demand for a discussion comes at a time when examination-related irregularities are becoming more frequently reported and with the pressure to get an honest opinion about them mounting on students who are preparing for competitive exams. Schools need to be transparent, accountable and the government has to respond to them.
Since the issue has now been taken directly to the Lok Sabha Speaker, the Opposition is seeking a formal discussion in Parliament. The government’s reaction and whether the matter is given space for discussion in Parliament will determine the next step in the political fight.
The controversy has also put education reform at the heart of the Monsoon Session. Student concerns are immediately in the spotlight but the Opposition is also calling for a change of course to make the examination system more transparent and more trust-based.
Rahul Gandhi’s latest statement also emphasizes that the Opposition will keep the issue alive, and that the students’ demands are not only through protests, but parliamentary debate.
