Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday demanded an apology and resignation from Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over his alleged “terrorist” remark against protesting students, accusing the government of targeting youth who question its policies.
In a post on social media platform X, Gandhi said the Education Minister had crossed a line by branding students raising concerns over examinations and job security as “terrorists”.
He alleged that the government was resorting to such language due to its “failures”, including alleged paper leak incidents and other administrative lapses that, he claimed, had affected the futures of young people.
Gandhi further said this was part of a broader pattern, alleging that the ruling party had earlier used terms such as “andolanjeevi” and “parasites” for farmers, and “anti-national” for critics.
Also read: CJP a voice of youth, but parties must take issue forward: Ramesh
“Dharmendra Pradhan ji, apologise immediately to the crores of young people in this country and resign for your failures,” Gandhi said in his post.
He added that criticism of the government was being systematically labelled as disloyalty, calling it the BJP’s political approach.
The Congress leader also reiterated his criticism of the education system, calling it an “extortion racket”, and said he would continue to raise the issue of affordable and fair education for students.
The remarks come amid a political row triggered by Pradhan’s alleged comments referring to a group of protesters as the “B team of terrorists”, which has drawn criticism from opposition leaders and activists.
Congress supporters and social activists also reacted strongly on social media, sharing video clips of the minister’s remarks and demanding clarification.
The controversy has added to the ongoing political confrontation between the ruling party and the opposition over education reforms, examination systems and student protests.
Follow us
