Mysuru: Maintaining that the country’s education system is in ICU under the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre, AICC Secretary Gopinath Palaniappan said that the brutal assault on protesting students over NEET paper leak at New Delhi on Monday was a big blow to democracy.

Addressing a press meet at Congress Bhavan in city this morning, Gopinath Palaniappan claimed that as many as 152 paper leaks have been reported across the country in the last 12 years since PM Modi came to power in 2014.

“The paper leaks have badly affected the morale and confidence of students across the country and the NEET-2026 paper leak protest by students at Delhi, demanding  the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, can be said as a result of the rot in the education system of our country under Modi’s rule. The brutal assault and the caning of protesting students by the Police at Delhi is the handiwork of RSS goons in civil dress who had infiltrated into  the strike under the guise of students. The assault is highly condemnable and is surely a black day in the history of democracy,” he contended.

Condemning the arrest of Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, who had launched a stir in support of students yesterday, Palaniappan said that the Modi Government was insensitive to the death of over 20 students who committed suicide after the NEET exam was cancelled due to paper leak.

“The Centre has failed to console the family members of the deceased students and has not paid any compensation to the families of the deceased. The NDA Government is against the interests of students,” he alleged.

Continuing, he said that the Congress was initially demanding the resignation of only Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. But after Monday’s brutal assault on protesting students and the subsequent arrest of Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, the Congress now demands the resignation of PM Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah along with Pradhan, he said adding that the party would soon launch a campaign for reaching out to students in every nook and corner of the country for advising them against taking extreme steps and instilling hope and confidence in them.

City Congress President R. Murthy, District President Dr. B.J. Vijaykumar, KPCC Member H.V. Rajeev, NSUI leader Nagesh Kariyappa, Party leaders Shivanna & K. Mahesh were present.