Rahul Gandhi accuses Amit Shah of ordering force against student protesters, draws BJP backlash

India's Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi today (29 July) accused Indian Home Minister Amit Shah of ordering the use of force against student protesters during the 20 July march to parliament, triggering a sharp backlash from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led treasury benches in the Lok Sabha.

Participating in a debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, Rahul described the recent nationwide student protests over the alleged National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) paper leak as a powerful expression of the aspirations and anxieties of India's youth.

He said every political party should respect the voices of protesting students, adding that the demonstrations reflected their concerns about the future.

Referring to the violence during the students' march to parliament organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on 20 July, Rahul alleged that Amit Shah had ordered the use of force against the protesters. The claim drew immediate protests from treasury bench members, who demanded that he substantiate the allegation.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla intervened, telling Rahul, "You can't level allegations without any evidence."

Minister of State Jitendra Singh, however, said security personnel had used only tear gas to disperse protesters and that no shots were fired during the demonstration.

Following the exchange, Rahul discontinued his speech in the lower house of parliament.

Earlier in his address, the Congress leader criticised India's education system, calling it "very expensive" and claiming that more money is spent on a single examination than the government allocates to the country's entire education budget.

He further alleged that the education system is "a brutal, terrible system" and "an extortion system", adding that "the soul of the system has been captured by the RSS."

Meanwhile, lawmakers from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) cited incidents of examination paper leaks during the tenure of Congress-led governments and in states ruled by opposition parties.

Opposition lawmaker Murasoli Maran of the DMK argued that the bill fails to address the core issues surrounding examinations and reiterated his party's opposition to NEET, citing what he described as fundamental flaws in its design.

Unlike several opposition members who focused on the recent protests, Maran's remarks centred primarily on his party's longstanding opposition to the medical entrance examination.