Thousands of students protesting on Maharashtra's streets have turned into a full blown political flashpoint. On Sunday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi threw his weight behind the agitation, saying the anger isn't about a single exam or recruitment drive but about a complete collapse of trust in the system. He warned the BJP government that if students' voices go unheard now, the protests will only grow louder.
Rahul Gandhi takes aim at the BJP government
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said every student, whether under the central government or in Maharashtra, is struggling under BJP rule for one reason or another. In a post on X, he wrote, "The reason is not just one exam or recruitment, it's broken trust in the entire system." He said thousands of students in Maharashtra are protesting entirely peacefully, and their frustration stems from grievances that have piled up for years.
A long list of student grievances
Gandhi's post listed out the problems troubling students, recurring incidents of question paper leaks, government recruitment drives that have stayed stalled for years, the steadily rising cost of education that is slipping out of ordinary students' reach, inhuman living conditions in hostels, poison like quality of food served there, and fraud and irregularities in the Direct Benefit Transfer, or DBT, scheme. He further alleged that the government had taken control of a constitutional body like the MPSC and destroyed its credibility, further eroding students' trust.
Warning: act now, or the protests will intensify
Gandhi stressed that every demand raised by the students, tied as it is to their better future, is entirely justified. He said the government must listen to them immediately and take concrete action. He cautioned that if this doesn't happen, the students' echo will keep growing louder until they get justice.
State government has already set up a review panel
Gandhi's remarks came at a time when the Maharashtra government had already formed a high level committee to carry out a comprehensive review of the state's existing recruitment exam system. The committee has been tasked with suggesting ways to make the exam process more transparent, secure, reliable and candidate friendly.
Committee to examine every stage of the exam process
The review is expected to cover nearly every aspect of the exam process, how question papers are prepared and checked, the confidentiality and safe custody of question papers, the management and security of exam centres, the use of technology, measures to prevent cheating and other irregularities, better coordination between different government agencies, a system for redressing complaints, and an overall review of candidates' exam experience.
Tribal students' protests set the stage for the panel
The trigger for all this was protests by tribal students and job aspirants in Maharashtra, who had taken to the streets over the dismal condition of hostels, student safety, and repeated leaks of exam question papers. Facing that pressure, the state government accepted their key demands and decided to set up a fresh committee to reform the exam system.
