Student protests are the consequence of Modi government’s policies, writes Sonia Gandhi
Sonia Gandhi criticizes the Modi government's response to student protests, characterizing the use of police force as authoritarian and cruel. She argues that the government's failure to address education reform and its tendency to label dissent as anti-national are alienating the youth.
Why it matters
This represents a significant opposition critique of the government's handling of civil unrest and its broader governance style.
For the last few weeks, peaceful protests by young students all over India against examination paper leaks and the general decay in the education system have been gathering momentum. Their demands have been straightforward and to the point: accountability from the Government of India and education reform. The Narendra Modi government has responded to their courage with cowardice and wanton cruelty, treating them not as inheritors of the future but as enemies of the nation. On July 20, 2026, a day of infamy, the Delhi Police and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) sought to suppress them with uncalled-for violence, using brutal lathicharges and tear gas. Scores of peaceful protesters have been injured. Even students heading back home were not spared, as lathis rained down on their backs and heads.
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