“We are going through a strange time in our country. Students are on the streets, in severe pain," Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his ‘forgive children’ video message last week, saying the students of the country are in “severe pain” and do not need the latter’s forgiveness.Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (ANI/PTI)“We are going through a strange time in our country. Students are on the streets, in severe pain. They are asking for fairness in exams and for an education system that works,” the Lok Sabha MP said in reference to the recent nationwide protests, mostly by students, sparked by the cancellation of the NEET-UG exam earlier this year.“On the other side, we have the Prime Minister who is forgiving them. Who is he to forgive them, don’t know. But that is what he chooses to do,” he added.Late on Friday, PM Modi said he and even his late mother were subjected to abusive language at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, where the protests first erupted, but asserted that dragging such “misguided children” into court would not resolve the problem. He said he wanted to forgive such students.The PM’s remarks, through an Instagram reel, came against the backdrop of the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against a woman by Noida Police over allegedly objectionable comments directed at him.Follow the latest breaking news, major developments and agenda-setting stories from India and around the world with the newsdesk at Hindustan Times. Operating round the clock, the desk brings together experienced editors, reporters and correspondents to deliver fast, accurate and contextual reporting across subjects that influence public policy, governance, business, society and international affairs.