Rahul Gandhi attacks Govt, RSS over student protest in Lok Sabha

Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi speaks in the House during the Monsoon Session of Parliament in New Delhi on July 29, 2026. | Photo Credit: Sansad TV via PTI

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday (July 29, 2026) launched a scathing attack on the government in the Lok Sabha last week over a student protest in the capital, prompting a sharp rebuttal from the ruling NDA.

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Mr. Gandhi was unable to complete his speech due to protests and objections from the Finance Ministry benches, although a substantial part of the address was expunged from the records.

“Three Categories of People”

Participating in a debate on the Public Examination (Prevention of Dishonest Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, he began by taking an indirect dig at the BJP and its core supporters by referring to three categories of people – students, those who think they know everything and pretend to be God, and ‘andhbhaktas’ (blind believers) who believe the second category is God.

The Finance Ministry benches erupted in protest at the remarks, and as the uproar continued, Mr Gandhi claimed he was not allowed to speak.

He said that Dharmendra Pradhan who had to resign as Union Education Minister was just a symbol and the Education Ministry is actually run by the RSS.

To this, both Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh stood up and said that the Leader of the Opposition had a responsibility not to use unparliamentary words and should continue with his speech.

RSS targeted

When he rose to speak again, Mr. Gandhi took aim at the RSS, arguing that it was influencing the education system and shaping what students learn. “The soul of the system has been captured by the RSS. Dharmendra Pradhan never ran the education ministry. The man and the organization running the ministry is called the RSS,” he said.

He also claimed that all universities in the country have vice-chancellors affiliated to the RSS.

As protests from the ruling party continued, Mr Gandhi then pointed his guns at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, claiming he was not present in the Lok Sabha because he was “scared”.

The Congress leader leveled certain allegations against the Home Minister, which the ruling party vehemently denied. The BJP accused Mr Gandhi of telling a “pack of lies” and demanded that he apologize for “misusing” the House by making “baseless” allegations.

Spokesman Om Birla also asked Mr. Gandhi to provide evidence to substantiate his claims.

Mr. Rijiju protested the remarks and demanded that he apologize. “On what basis did you say that? That is very uncalled for. You should apologize.”

The House was adjourned twice amid uproar over Mr. Gandhi’s remarks and he was unable to finish his speech.

Published – 29 Jul 2026 15:06 IST