Rahul Gandhi launches ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ in Kota to target education exam issues

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday launched a signature campaign to amplify issues related to the nation's education system, such as paper leaks and high fees, asserting that it is a platform for students to make demands directly to the government.In a post on X, Gandhi posted a link to the campaign where students can share ideas and sign a petition."If you've suffered because of paper leaks, exam issues, or high fees, if this education system has shattered your dreams, if your family has invested a lifetime of savings in your education, then 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' is your voice," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said in the post.भारत की शिक्षा व्यवस्था आज सिर्फ़ एक वसूली तंत्र बन गई है।ज़रा सोचिए - देशभर के परिवार जितना पैसा सिर्फ़ NEET की तैयारी पर ख़र्च करते हैं, वो भारत सरकार के पूरे शिक्षा बजट के बराबर है।आज कोटा से, और देश के हर कोने से, लाखों युवा एक सुर में कह रहे हैं - इस व्यवस्था ने हमारे… pic.twitter.com/06qcSul7ed— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 17, 2026 Centre VS Telegram: Delhi High Court Reserves Order On Telegram Ban In India Gandhi noted that this initiative goes beyond just a campaign; it is a platform for students to raise issues such as the need for affordable education, fair examinations, and dignified employment opportunities."Join the movement: Click the link below. Fill in your name and share your ideas. Sign the petition -- that's it," Gandhi said, urging the youth to sign up for this movement. "More the signatures, louder the goonj!" he added.His appeal for participation in the campaign followed a day after he interacted with students at a convention in Kota, Rajasthan.During this interaction, he described India's education system as a "rejection system" rather than a selection system, claiming it places an excessive financial burden and causes significant stress to students and middle-class families.'Telegram Has Emerged As A Preferred Platform For Terrorist Activities': Centre To Delhi High Court Amid App Ban While addressing the gathering in Kota, known for its coaching centres, Gandhi remarked that the current education structure is "extremely stressful and unfair." "This is not good for the country. I want all of us to work together to ensure that no student in this country ever feels what this girl felt," he said at the "Chhatron ki Goonj" Maha Rally in Kota, where he interacted with students on various issues like paper leaks and unemployment. (Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has launched a new student outreach campaign, “Chhatron Ki Goonj” (Echo of Students), in Kota, calling for an end to “India’s exploitative education system”.Addressing thousands of students at the rally in Kota, widely known as India’s coaching hub, Gandhi argued that the country’s education system functions less as a pathway to opportunity and more as a barrier to it. “India’s education system is an extortion machine. We want a system that allows you to dream big,” he said, adding that young people are being subjected to excessive pain and stress.He insisted the gathering was not a political event but a platform to hear out the everyday struggles of the country’s youth. “This is not a political meeting. This is a meeting about you, about the young people who are struggling to get a future,” he told the audience.According to a release issued alongside the campaign, “Chhatron Ki Goonj” aims to spotlight issues including “crushing coaching fees, paper leaks that wipe out years of preparation overnight, fewer seats with more fees, and a degree that no longer secures a job”. The campaign – to be carried forward by Congress-affiliated youth wings NSUI and Youth Congress – will next move to Prayagraj on July 10, Patna on July 11, and Delhi on July 14, with Gandhi expected to address conventions at each stop.Gandhi presented figures to argue that competitive exams impose a disproportionate financial strain on middle-class families. He claimed NEET aspirants alone collectively spend close to Rs 1.32 lakh crore annually on coaching, fees and related costs – a sum he equated to the Union government’s entire education budget. Widening the lens to five major exams (NEET, JEE, UPSC, SSC and RRB), he put the combined annual spending by aspirants at nearly Rs 3.5 lakh crore, which he said matches the combined budgets of five central ministries covering women and child development, labour, education, health and science.On NEET specifically, he pointed to the scale of competition: “For NEET alone, around 22 lakh students appear, but less than one lakh get selected. These are extremely difficult odds,” he said.Gandhi also argued that the system funnels students toward a narrow set of careers – medicine, engineering, civil services, law and the armed forces – while sidelining other ambitions and talents. “The system takes huge amounts of money from families and then shuts the door on most students,” he said, questioning whether the model creates genuine opportunity for India's youth.In one of the event’s most charged moments, Gandhi displayed the suicide note of Akanksha Chaturvedi, a NEET aspirant. “I want all of us to work together to ensure that no student in this country ever feels what this girl felt,” Gandhi said.The BJP accused Gandhi of politicising the issue ahead of the NEET-UG re-exam scheduled for June 21. Party spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi asked at a press conference in Delhi whether the Kota event was driven by “Congress’ internal politics” at the expense of medical aspirants in the final stretch of their preparation.In a post on X, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said he has set out for Kota, but two names are echoing in his heart.“Yesterday, Umesh in Sikar and Riya in Dehradun – both ended their lives under the pressure of Re-NEET. 22- and 23-year-old kids – who were meant to soar in the open skies of their dreams – lost to this unjust system. These deaths are the result of a broken, corrupt system,” he said.“Today, from Kota, we will begin that fight with just one goal – that no child’s dreams shatter like this again, that no parent ever has to lose their child in this way again. Every family’s pain will now echo across the country as the ‘chhatron ki goonj’,” Gandhi said.In another post, he criticised the government after it temporarily restricted access to Telegram, saying it was like locking the victim’s house instead of catching the thief.Gandhi’s campaign around the education system comes days after the Cockroach Janta Party organised its first series of protests in Delhi, Lucknow and Pune. The CJP had recently been discussed at a significant INDIA bloc meeting held after the recent assembly elections. Several leaders had questioned whether support for the CJP meant the people no longer had faith in the Opposition parties.In times of misinformation, you need news you can trust. We’ve got you covered. Subscribe to Newslaundry and power our work.