Rahul backs students protesting against paper leak in Uttarakhand, calls BJP 'paper chor'

Extending his full support to students protesting against a recent paper leak in Uttarakhand, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said unemployment is directly linked to "vote chori", and alleged that the other name of BJP is "paper chor". In a post on X, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha also alleged that the BJP is not bothered about jobs for the youth but about remaining in power through "vote chori" (vote theft) during elections. "Today, BJP's other name is 'Paper Chor'! The repeated paper leaks across the country have ruined the lives and dreams of millions of hardworking youth," he said in his post in Hindi. Gandhi said the recent paper leak in Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSSC) graduate-level examination is the latest example, where lakhs of youth toiled day and night but BJP dashed all their hard work through theft. "We have been continuously demanding that a strong and transparent system be created to stop paper leaks. But the Modi government is turning a blind eye to this, because they are not concerned about youth unemployment, but about their own power," Gandhi alleged.

Noting that unemployment is the biggest problem facing the country today, which is directly linked to "vote chori", the Congress leader alleged that "the 'paper chors' know that even if the youth don't get jobs, they will remain in power by stealing votes during elections". "The youth are on the streets, raising the slogan 'Paper Chor, Gaddi Chhod' (paper thieves, leave the throne)," he claimed. Asserting that this is not just a fight for jobs for the youth, Gandhi said it is a fight for justice and democracy. "I stand firmly with every student and youth in this fight for justice," he said, using the hashtag '#PaperChorGaddiChod'. Gandhi had coined the term "vote chori" during his recent Voter Adhikar Rally in poll-bound Bihar to highlight his allegation that polls had been "rigged" in the country. Gandhi has been accusing the BJP of indulging in "vote chori" during elections, claiming that it sought to "illegally" delete and add votes in "connivance" with the Election Commission, a charge which both the ruling party and the poll body vehemently denied.

Amid the uproar caused by the leaking of three pages of a question paper during a competitive examination for various departments on September 21, a large number of students, under the banner of the Uttarakhand Berozgar Sangh, have put up tents on the road outside the Parade Ground in Dehradun where they are sitting on an indefinite strike.