‘Chhatron ki Goonj will grow louder’: Rahul Gandhi backs Maharashtra students’ protests

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi Sunday backed protesting students and job aspirants in Maharashtra, saying their trust in the examination and recruitment system had been “shattered” and warning the BJP-led government that the “Chhatron ki Goonj” would grow louder unless their concerns were addressed.

Gandhi said thousands of students were protesting peacefully in Maharashtra and argued that their anger went beyond a single examination or recruitment exercise. He cited paper leaks, stalled recruitment, rising education costs, conditions in government hostels and alleged irregularities in direct benefit transfers among the issues confronting students.

“In Maharashtra, thousands of students are on the streets, protesting peacefully — the reason isn’t just one exam or recruitment, but a trust that’s been shattered by the entire system,” Gandhi said in a post in Hindi. He also accused the BJP government of damaging the credibility of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC).

‘Listen to students’

Gandhi said the demands being raised by students for their future were justified and called upon the government to respond immediately. “The government must listen to their voice and act immediately — otherwise, this ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ will only grow louder until justice is served,” he said.

His remarks come amid protests in Maharashtra over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations as well as concerns raised by tribal students over conditions in government hostels and student safety.

The MPSC has cancelled the recruitment process for Drug Inspector Group-B posts under the Food and Drug Administration Department following a preliminary inquiry into alleged malpractice in the screening examination held on March 22. Police have arrested six people, including three MPSC officials, in connection with the alleged question paper leak. A preliminary police inquiry indicated that a candidate had allegedly received the question paper before the examination and benefited from it.

Maharashtra forms panel

The Maharashtra government has meanwhile constituted a high-level committee to comprehensively review the state's recruitment examination system and recommend measures to make it more transparent, secure and candidate-friendly.

The review will cover question-paper preparation and scrutiny, confidentiality and secure handling of papers, examination-centre management, use of technology, prevention of malpractices, coordination among agencies and grievance redressal.

The committee will also seek suggestions from students, parents, teachers, coaching institutes and public representatives. It is scheduled to interact with students at Savitribai Phule Pune University on September 12.

Gandhi has been raising examination irregularities, unemployment and education costs through his “Chhatron Ki Goonj” campaign, launched in June. The campaign has included interactions with students and competitive examination aspirants in several cities, with the Congress seeking to build its outreach among young voters around jobs, paper leaks and recruitment reforms.