Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation as Union Education Minister was "a superficial thing" because Pradhan never actually ran the ministry, alleging instead that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) controls India's education system.Speaking in the Lok Sabha during the debate on the alleged NEET-UG paper leak, Gandhi said the resignation would not change anything on the ground. "The resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan is a superficial thing because he never ran the education ministry. The one who runs the ministry is the RSS," he said.Also read: Rahul Gandhi's 'idiot, andhbhakt' jibe creates ruckus in Lok Sabha during NEET debateGandhi alleged that RSS influence extended across higher education institutions. "Every single university in India has a vice chancellor from RSS," he said, adding that the current system disproportionately burdened poorer families. "Our system is terrible, lakhs and lakhs of rupees are taken from the poor people. The rampant system is captured by the RSS."He also targeted the government's response to student protests over the alleged paper leak, saying families of affected students had been unable to push back against the ruling establishment while students themselves had shown resolve. "The parents of these children did not have the courage to face BJP and RSS. Yet these brave and powerful students stood there and faced whatever you could throw at them," Gandhi said.Earlier in his address, Gandhi had drawn a distinction between three categories of people in the country: students, "idiots" and "andhbhakts". He said students recognise that knowledge is constantly evolving, while "idiots" believe they already know everything and refuse to consider other perspectives. He described "andhbhakts" as those who "hollow India's roots."Recalling a conversation with a student that shaped this framing, Gandhi said, "She said the student wears the truth on his/her chest proudly. I said, what about the other type? She said the other type requires an image. It requires an image and as the image is not true because the idiot is trying to pretend that he is God, he has to create this massive image." He said he had then asked where the third category, the "andhbhakt", fit in. "She said, 'andhbhakt' is a person who is absolutely convinced that another idiot is God," Gandhi said, using the framing to describe the RSS.Ahead of Gandhi's remarks, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the Congress and other Opposition parties of using the debate to divert attention from the Bill under discussion. "Congress leaders did not speak on the Bill at all. They were only doing politics. We hope Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders will speak on the Bill today," Rijiju said, adding that the Opposition was "politicising" the issue.
Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation superficial, RSS runs India's education ministry: Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi stated Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation was superficial as the RSS controls the education ministry. He claimed RSS influences all Indian universities and burdens poorer families significantly. Gandhi criticized the government's handling of student protests and the home minister's absence. He also dismissed the RSS's historical perspectives as nonsensical and hollow. Gandhi categorized people as students, "idiots," and "andhbhakts" to frame his arguments.












