Congress protests: Rahul digs in, Nadda says selective outrage

NEW DELHI: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi Wednesday said the sacking of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan is a must to end the confrontation triggered by the Monday crackdown on protesting students, lobbing a challenge to the Modi govt.

He further demanded that PM Modi apologise to the country's youth and action be taken against the persons responsible for violence against the protestors.Rahul listed the three demands as "non-negotiable" to defuse the escalating tensions that have spilled over from restive youngsters to the political domain, turning national focus to the single issue spotlighted by the Jantar Mantar protest of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP).Addressing a news conference, Rahul said govt is in panic and its brass has collapsed psychologically. "We fully support every single student who is on the streets." He accused govt of "rigging" and destroying the education system which was considered among the best in the world.He said students are being put through unlimited stress because of "paper leaks", claiming the number of known cases of leaks is "152 in the last decade" - which means one leak a month.

In contrast, Rahul said there has not been a single conviction and that 7.5 crore families have suffered because of these leaks.Rahul said the crisis of the system is not just paper leaks but also that the system has become unaffordable for the poor and the middle class. "One exam (NEET) costs the families the same money as our entire education budget. The govt spends Rs 1.4 lakh crore on education, and Rs 1.32 lakh crore is spent by families who take the NEET exam. This is pure theft from these families." Paper leaks have hurt the youngsters badly because govt jobs are the only option left to them since the manufacturing sector and private sector have nosedived and entrepreneurship, which requires loans, is limited to big businesses, Rahul said.

He dismissed questions about his treatment by police during the dharna outside the PM residence as "irrelevant" to the central issue.