Rudrapur (Uttarakhand) [India], August 9 : Congress National President and Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday credited Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for giving critical national momentum to student grievances by launching the 'Chhtron ki Goonj' campaign.
Speaking to ANI, Kharge highlighted that Gandhi was the pioneer in amplifying the struggles of job seekers and student aspirants across the country.
"Rahul Gandhi was the very first to raise this issue. He visited Kota and met everyone involved. After that, this issue gained real momentum. The students have also voiced their demands and are fighting for their cause. They have benefitted from Rahul Gandhi's campaign and the boost he has given them," he said.
On Saturday, Gandhi extended the 'Chhatron ki Goonj' event to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. The campaign began from Rajasthan's Kota with a 'Chhatron Ki Goonj Maha Rally' and later moved to Dehradun.
Addressing a massive gathering of students at the 'Chhatron ki Goonj' event in Prayagraj, Gandhi highlighted a grim reality of unemployment, stating, "Let me give you the figures: out of every 1000 young people, only 12 land a permanent job."
Earlier, during the Dehradun leg of the campaign held at Bannu School Ground, Gandhi had alleged that over the past decade, around 7.5 crore young students had suffered due to paper leaks.
"High technology is being used in India to facilitate exam paper leaks. You can find these papers on the internet, on Telegram or Signal, if you have crores of rupees. This is the state of India's education system," he had said.
He further claimed that there had been "152 paper leaks" in the last decade and alleged that the conviction rate in such cases was zero.
"There have been 152 leaks, meaning, on average, one paper leak every month for the past decade. Yet, the reality is that the conviction rate is zero. Not a single person has gone to jail or been punished in connection with these cases," Gandhi had said.
The 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' campaign focuses on issues including examination paper leaks, coaching fees, access to education and employment opportunities. The Congress has announced that the initiative will include protests, public outreach programmes and discussions across the country, including in Parliament, with participation from its student wing NSUI and Youth Congress.