Rahul Gandhi Launches Chhatron Ki Goonj Campaign Against Exam Scandals

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi launched a nationwide agitation titled Chhatron Ki Goonj (Echo of Students) on June 17, 2026, with a mega rally at the Dussehra Ground in Kota, Rajasthan. The campaign targets systemic failures in India's education system, specifically citing the NEET-UG paper leaks, recruitment irregularities, high coaching fees, and the resulting mental health crisis and student suicides in Sikar and Dehradun. Gandhi characterized the current education system as a mechanism for financial exploitation and rejection, claiming 80% of engineering graduates are unemployed.

Organized by the Indian National Congress under the leadership of Gandhi and President Mallikarjun Kharge, the movement demands the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the decentralization of NEET, and the abolition of examination fees. The first phase of the outreach includes subsequent student conventions in Allahabad on July 10, Patna on July 11, and Delhi on July 14. These events are supported by the National Students' Union of India and the Youth Congress.

The campaign became a political flashpoint, as the Bharatiya Janata Party condemned the timing of the Kota rally, which occurred just days before the National Testing Agency's scheduled NEET-UG re-examination on June 21. BJP leaders accused Gandhi of politicizing student stress for personal ambition. Meanwhile, Congress leaders, including Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, alleged that the BJP-led administration intimidated coaching institutes and removed promotional hoardings to disrupt the event. Separately, the Cockroach Janta Party held complementary protests in cities like Hyderabad and Bengaluru demanding Minister Pradhan's resignation.