Modi govt responds to students' courage with 'cowardice, reckless cruelty': Sonia Gandhi slams Center

Congress Parliamentary Party president Sonia Gandhi on Friday launched a scathing attack on the central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying students were demanding accountability and education reforms, but the Modi government had responded to their courage with “cowardice and reckless cruelty, treating them not as heirs of the future but as enemies of the nation”.

In an op-ed published on Friday, Gandhi accused the Center of degrading the educational landscape in the country and claimed that students were calling the bluff of the regime, news agency PTI reported.

In her article titled “Education System Collapse, Young India’s Trauma”, she noted: “Student protests are a natural consequence of these interconnected forces: today’s bleak education environment that only breeds hopelessness, and the typical arrogance and unwillingness of the Modi government to be accountable or constructive.”

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Sonia Gandhi criticized the Modi government for responding to the student protests with “cowardice and reckless cruelty” and treating students as enemies rather than the future of the nation.

Sonia Gandhi called 20 July a day of shame because on that day the Delhi Police and central armed forces violently quelled student protesters with lathi-charge and tear gas.

The Modi government has announced the establishment of fast-track courts and stiffer penalties for those involved in the paper leak to ensure speedy justice and accountability.

The student protesters demanded accountability from the government, education reforms, the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and compensation for the families of students who died by suicide.

Many believe the Modi government should take a more constructive approach by engaging in dialogue with students and addressing their concerns rather than resorting to repression.

She further emphasized that it is a moral, political and constitutional duty to become students and protect their future.

Read also | CJP LIVE protest news: Sonam Wangchuk ends fast, Prime Minister’s rare midnight news

Sonia Gandhi criticizes police brutality against protesters

She claimed that the “brutality” perpetrated by the Delhi Police against the student protesters, which she said followed directly on the orders of the Union Home Minister, was hardly unprecedented for the regime. Gandhi further elaborated: “We all vividly remember how armed police and paramilitary forces ravaged university campuses during the 2020 protests against the Citizenship and National Register of Citizens Act. The unacceptable excesses against Indian women wrestlers can never be erased from our memories.”

She claimed that the Modi government is not only responsible for the degradation of the educational environment in the country, but has also made a habit of acting with “utter impunity, supreme self-delusion and callous insensitivity.”

The Congress leader accused the central government led by Prime Minister Modi of routinely choosing violence over dialogue. She went on to say that the government’s pattern is clear, from farmers to activists, adding: “But this week, even a government as callous as one that set new standards for authoritarian governance has sunk to a new low. Instead of reaching out with understanding to our future doctors and engineers, teachers and civil servants, businessmen and nation-builders, it cannot even forgive the forgotten repressive power or this repressive power of the state.”

Sonia Gandhi on student protests

Gandhi stressed that peaceful student protests against paper leaks and the decline of the education system have been gaining momentum across the country in recent weeks. She described the students’ demands as straightforward, including government accountability and education reform.

She described July 20 as a day of shame when the Delhi Police and the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) resorted to lathi-charge, tear gas and violence to suppress the voices of students who were part of the ‘Chalo Sansad’ march.

Read also | When Dharmendra Pradhan denied paper leak but later took “moral responsibility”

PM Modi promises ‘strict action’ against paper leak

Gandhi’s remarks come at a time when protests against the paper leaks are intensifying across the country, with more protesters joining those demonstrating at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and other parts of the country. On Thursday, PM Modi shared a video on his social media account promising that the government would take “stricter” action against paper leaks.

The cabinet will also pass a bill to provide for speedy trials and severe punishment for offenders, Prime Minister Modi said in his video message.

Meanwhile, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) announced on Thursday that the government has agreed to the proposal to meet and the meeting is likely to take place at the Constitution Club in the capital.

Separately, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28, ended her strike on Thursday night after 26 days in the presence of Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh, who were present at Medanta Hospital where Wangchuk was admitted for treatment.