‘System’ run by Modi prefers andhbhakts over students who ask questions, says Rahul Gandhi

The “system” running the country does not want students as they raise questions, but wants only andhbhakts (blind followers), Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said in an address to students on Saturday (September 19, 2026).

The Congress refers to staunch BJP followers as andhbhakts.

Speaking at the fifth ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ student interaction programme in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, Mr.

Gandhi alleged that a “system” had captured the country and was against students and the education system.

He said the “system” was being controlled by a handful of powerful people, but students posed a danger to it as they raised questions.

India’s academic freedom ‘severely restricted’ under BJP government: report Mr.

Gandhi said he had held the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ event in cities like Kota, Pune, Dehradun and Prayagraj, raising students’ issues such as paper leaks, institutional failure, infrastructural collapse and privatisation.

“In Indore, we have decided that we will talk about the ‘system’ vs students today,” he said, addressing thousands of youth at Indore’s IDA ground.

“The system has various layers.

At the top, there are six people.

The system is run by [Prime Minister] Narendra Modi ji.

The tasks of threatening and beating up students with a nail-studded baton and pellet guns are done by [Union Home Minister] Amit Shah ji; he is the enforcer,” Mr.

Gandhi said, displaying pictures of several BJP and RSS leaders, top bureaucrats, industrialists and media and film personalities.

PM Modi used student interaction as political campaign: Kharge ‘Top layer of the system’ The top layer of the alleged system, he said, included Mr.

Modi, Mr.

Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, and industrialists Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani.

The Congress MP further accused Mr.

Doval of digital spying on people by tapping phones and social media.

“Ajit Doval says in informal conversation that ‘if you want to control India, you just have to control 500 people’.

He has captured India’s communication.

He gets phones tapped and provides information to Amit Shah ji and Narendra Modi ji.

Doval is sitting in mine and your phones,” he says.

ALSO WATCH PM Modi breaks silence on NEET paper leak controversy, announces fast-track courts Mr.

Gandhi also charged that RSS sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat brought ideology to the table and in return, “crores of rupees are given to his organisation to run educational institutions”.

He alleged that industrialist Gautam Adani “finances” the system and “channels the money” earned through government contracts.

“All that money is channeled and given to the BJP for Narendra Modi ji’s marketing and to run the ‘system’,” he said.

‘Capture of institutions’ “Below this layer, there are different people who have captured every institution, like politics, business, judiciary, bureaucracy, education, media, entertainment and sports.

The ‘system’ has placed its people in every institution,” he said.

Delhi building collapse | Complete coverage “For example, the ‘system’ has given the entire contract of cricket to Amit Shah’s son [Jay Shah] despite the country having many cricket players.

They have divided all the institutions among them like this,” he said.

Mr.

Gandhi further said that the students posed a danger to the “system” as they questioned why institutions like judiciary, bureaucracy and the Election Commission “are not doing their jobs properly”.

“This is why the ‘system’ does not want students.

It wants andhbhakts who are anti-students.

It prepares and promotes andhbhakts.

While students are curious, the andhbhakts are delusional and live in their own world.

While students talk about love and respect, the andhbhakts spread hatred.

While students are humble and listen to others, the andhbhakts are filled with arrogance.

While students are fearless, the andhbhakts are cowards.

While students respect women, the andhbhakts are patriarchal and attack women.

While students are honest, the andhbhakts are dishonest and liars,” he said.

Gandhi claimed that those who run the “system” did not want their children to become andhbhkts and sent them to study abroad.

He also claimed that more than one lakh schools had been shut across the country and that 55% of them were in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh alone.

He claimed that the Union government’s education budget allocation had come down from 4.6% of total budget outlayin 2014 to 2.6% in 2026.

Many students and government job aspirants who were called on to the stage raised issues faced in Madhya Pradesh, including delayed recruitment to government jobs, the holding of government vacancies due to the sub judice OBC reservation hike case and delay in holding nursing exams, which has prompted students to protest.

After winning the exam battle, youth now have to face the jobs war The family of Arpit Jaj, an 18-year-old student from Dewas who died in the Delhi building collapse earlier this month, also met Mr.

Gandhi on the stage and alleged that their son had died due to the “system’s failure”.

“This is the cost of not having the infrastructure and cutting down on government’s [education] budget,” he said after meeting Jaj’s family.

Students vs andhbhakts As Mr.

Gandhi pitted the students against “andhbhakts”, he said that the students were the future of India, and no country could become strong without them.

“We want that the hope in your hearts that has broken comes back fast once again; you start believing in education, and the system; and the country should run with the force of your strengths and qualities — curiosity, honesty, compassion and love,” he said.

“The students can erase the hate and violence going on in the country.

Only the students can do it; the andhbhakts can never erase it.

We want an India of students, not of andhbhakts.

We don’t want an India of arrogance, hate and violence.

We want to hear your voice.

Never forget that you are the future of this country,” Mr.

Gandhi said, concluding his address.

Earlier, on Saturday (September 19, 2026) morning, several posters which appeared to mock Mr.

Gandhi with words like ‘Jhooth Ki Goonj’ surfaced across Indore, adding to a list of controversies that erupted in the run-up to the event.

This prompted Congress national general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh to allege that the BJP government of Madhya Pradesh was “terrified” of the event and “tried every trick in the book to stop this program”.