Opposition to 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' shows bid to suppress voices seeking education reforms: Kanhaiya

Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar on Friday alleged that opposition to party MP Rahul Gandhi's 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme scheduled to be held in Pune on August 22 reflected an attempt to suppress voices seeking reforms in the education sector.

Key points

• The Congress has been using 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' as a nationwide campaign to highlight student-related problems and worries over India's education system.
• The police have granted permission for the event to take place under 30 strict conditions.
• "In a country where every day two youths commit suicide and 25 schools are closed, " he remarked, adding that the administration was incapable of handling the situation.
• Opposition to the programme reflects an attempt to suppress voices seeking reforms in the education sector.
• Today, the same mindset is damaging the education system of the country, he alleged.

Addressing a press conference in Pune on the eve of the event, he hit out at the administration for its "failure" to address difficulties faced by the students and the education system, including unemployment and examination-related irregularities.

Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, will host the third edition of his interactive student dialogue initiative 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' in Pune city on Saturday evening. This particular edition focuses primarily on female students. The police have granted permission for the event to take place under 30 strict conditions.

Kumar remarked those opposing the event represent the same mindset that had resisted social reformer Savitribai Phule and thrown dung at her when she began a school for girls.

"Opposition to the programme reflects an attempt to suppress voices seeking reforms in the education sector. Those who are opposing the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' are the same individuals with the mindset of those who had thrown dung at Savitribai Phule when she kicked off the first school for girls in Pune, " Kumar noted.

"Their only slogan is 'na padhenge, na padhne denge' (won't study and won't let anyone study), " he remarked.

Kumar, who serves as the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), additionally alleged that the education system was being pushed towards "farziwada" (fraud), and maintained that those advocating such changes were themselves facing questions over their educational qualifications.

He remarked the Pune edition of 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' was aimed at giving students, particularly young women, a platform to raise matters concerning education, safety, equality and career opportunities.

Kumar additionally alleged that attempts were being produced to create hurdles for the programme, but asserted that the event would be held nonetheless.

In practice, the Congress has been using 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' as a nationwide campaign to highlight student-related problems and worries over India's education system. The campaign was introduced in Kota in June and subsequently held in Dehradun and Prayagraj before the Pune edition.

For now, opposition to ' Chhatron Ki Goonj' shows bid to suppress voices seeking education remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.