Congress urges party leaders to back ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ movement

Congress on Saturday urged all party leaders to support the students’ countrywide ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ movement to pave the way for a new system that provides equal opportunities for all. The movement has been launched by its youth wing, as well as the NSUI, against the present education system of “oppression and extortion.”

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, in a letter to all party general secretaries, State in-charges and chiefs of all State, district and city units, urged them to make ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ campaign a countrywide movement. He had addressed the first ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ rally in Kota on June 17 and is scheduled to address similar rallies in Prayagraj, Patna and Delhi.

The protest rallies planned by the Congress are part of the party’s plan to woo students and Gen Z and rally their support against the Modi Government, especially in the wake of the NEET paper leak and CBSE onscreen marking row.

“The young people of India are facing an unprecedented crisis. Paper leaks, cancelled examinations, repeated re-examinations, delays in recruitment, vacant Government posts, rising unemployment, and the growing cost of education have caused deep distress to them and their families,” Rahul said in his letter.

“We are all aware that it is a system that puts immense pressure on young people and throws their families into a spiral of debt, sustained stress and suffering instead of supporting them as they choose career paths and forge strong futures for themselves. We need to expose the truth of the oppression and extortion being faced by India’s youth and create the momentum for a message to be carried across the country in a coordinated and effective manner,” the senior Congress leader said in his letter.

“Let us all work together to free our youth from this oppressive system and lay the foundation for a new system that provides them with the opportunity and support they deserve,” Rahul said. On the alleged Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) paper leak, Rahul described the paper leak and postponement of the exams as “theft” of the future of youngsters. 
“Another paper leak. Another exam cancelled. This time, Maharashtra’s TET. The country’s education and examination system has been turned into a system of extortion, leaving every youngster in the country insecure,” Rahul wrote on his social media posts. “This is not just a paper leak; it is the theft of the youth’s future,” he added.

The TET-2026, scheduled for Sunday in Maharashtra, was postponed after a raid in Bhiwandi town of Thane district found that certain individuals possessed several questions purportedly similar to those from the actual paper, officials said. Police in Bhiwandi have registered a case against three individuals in this connection, they said. In a statement, the Maharashtra State Council of Examination (MSCE) said it is committed to examining with complete transparency.