Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing the government of attempting to silence India’s youth. In a post on X, Gandhi wrote: “PM Modi and Amit Shah – you cannot threaten Gen Z into silence. First you broke their bones. Now you are filing FIRs and taking down their accounts. You are India’s past. Be careful about how you treat India’s future.” Following the uproar in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi continued his attack on the Centre over the alleged police action against students protesting the NEET paper leak issue. On Thursday, Gandhi questioned the absence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah from Parliament, alleging that it reflected “guilt” over the alleged violence against students. Taking to X, Gandhi wrote, “Why is Amit Shah so scared of coming to Parliament and explaining the brutal violence against students? It reeks of guilt.” He also shared a video purportedly showing police lathi-charging students and demanded accountability. “Students deserve justice. An independent Supreme Court-monitored high-powered committee must be constituted to probe brutalities against our students,” he said. In a separate Facebook post, Gandhi reiterated his stand on examination reforms, stating, “Unless the system changes, paper leaks will not stop!”
A day earlier, while participating in the Lok Sabha debate on the Anti-Paper Leak Bill, Gandhi had demanded Shah’s removal from the Union Cabinet and called for a Supreme Court-monitored probe into what he described as the “brutal attack” on students protesting on July 20. He also alleged that pellet guns were used against demonstrators. The former Congress president claimed that if Shah had ordered the alleged police action, he was responsible and should be removed from office. Alternatively, he argued that if the Home Minister was unaware of the alleged use of pellet guns against protesters, it amounted to incompetence. The BJP strongly rejected the allegations, accusing Gandhi of making “baseless” claims and demanding that he apologise for what it called the misuse of Parliament to level unsubstantiated accusations. During his speech in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Gandhi also alleged that Shah was responsible for the alleged police excesses against students, triggering loud protests from the Treasury benches. Several of his remarks were later expunged by Speaker Om Birla. However, Gandhi reiterated his allegations outside Parliament and continued his criticism of the government through social media posts.
