Rahul Gandhi's 'Chhatron ki Goonj' student outreach reaches Chennai

Rahul Gandhi will lead the 'Chhatron ki Goonj' student outreach in Chennai, the sixth event in the Congress campaign. The initiative aims to address student concerns like paper leaks, rising education costs, and unemployment across the country.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to participate in the "Chhatron ki Goonj" student outreach program in Chennai on Saturday. The Chennai leg of "Chhatron ki Goonj" is the sixth in the nationwide campaign, launched by the Congress party to interact with students across the country to understand and uncover issues being faced by them.

The campaign started on June 17 in Kota, Rajasthan. From Kota, Gandhi took the student outreach program to Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The third leg of the campaign was observed in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The Congress leader took the campaign further to Indore, Madhya Pradesh, and is now scheduled for Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Restoring Hope in the Education System

Earlier last month, during the "Chhatron ki Goonj" campaign in Indore, Rahul Gandhi told the gathering that the objective of the programme was to restore the "hope" students had lost in the education system. "We want the hope that was shattered in your hearts to return with renewed vigour. We want you to start believing in education and the system once again," Gandhi said.

Students vs 'Andhbhakts'

He cited questions over examination paper leaks, institutional functioning, the role of private players in the economy and the appointment of Amit Shah's son Jay Shah in cricket administration as examples of issues students could raise.

Gandhi also targeted those he described as "andhbhakts", contrasting them with students who question authority. "An andhbhakt never asks questions. A student is the one who raises this voice," Gandhi said. "An andhbhakt is the antithesis of a student. While a student asks questions and remains curious, an andhbhakt lives in a delusional world of their own. While a student is fearless, an andhbhakt is a coward," he added.

In another pointed remark, he referred to claims that Prime Minister Modi is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. "The 'andhbhakt' says development is not needed. Modi ji is an incarnation of Vishnu. But the andhbhakt never asks why the condition of our schools and colleges has become like this, why our infrastructure has broken down and why our papers are leaking," Gandhi said.

About the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' Campaign

Meanwhile, the campaign, launched by Congress leaders in 2026, aims to provide a platform for students to raise concerns related to examination irregularities, paper leaks, rising education costs, recruitment issues and unemployment.

The 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' campaign has previously been held in Pune, Kota, Dehradun and Prayagraj, with the objective of bringing student-related issues into the national political discourse.

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