NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday hit out at the Centre over the alleged lathicharge on Staff Selection Commission (SSC) aspirants and trainers protesting at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan. He accused the Modi government of ignoring the concerns of the youth, alleging it had come to power by “stealing votes.”
In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said the lathicharge on SSC aspirants and teachers peacefully protesting at Ramlila Maidan was “not just shameful, but the hallmark of a cowardly government.”
The protest, held on Sunday, saw the participation of several SSC candidates and their trainers, who were demanding transparency and better conduct of recruitment examinations. The SSC exams have faced repeated complaints of abrupt cancellations, server crashes, unresponsive systems and exam centres located as far as 500 kilometres from candidates’ homes.
“The youth had only demanded their rights — employment and justice. What did they get? Lathis,” Gandhi said.
He alleged that the government first manipulated elections to secure votes, then allowed irregularities in examinations, followed by failures in providing jobs and ultimately sought to suppress citizens’ rights and voices.
The Congress leader further said the government does not prioritise the demands of youth, farmers, the poor, Dalits and minorities, as it does not depend on their votes. He urged people not to be afraid but to stand firm and fight back.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also condemned the alleged police action, claiming the Modi government had made it a “habit” to jeopardise the future of the youth.
“Stealing the future of the country’s youth has become a habit of the Modi government. The brutal lathi-charge by the Modi government’s puppet police on students protesting against rigging in SSC exams at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan is highly condemnable,” Kharge said in a post on X.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too criticised the government, calling the use of force on protesting students “inhuman and shameful.”
In her post on X, she said, “The youth of the entire country are troubled by rigging in every exam, scams in every recruitment and paper leaks. The corruption in the recruitment process and exams under the BJP rule is ruining the future of the youth.”
Denying the allegations, a senior Delhi Police officer said around 1,500 protestors had gathered at the site, and about 100 refused to leave after the permitted time despite repeated requests.
“Out of those who were not leaving, 44 protestors were detained. There was no lathi-charge,” the officer clarified.
The SSC is a statutory body responsible for conducting recruitment examinations for various posts across ministries, departments and other government organisations.
The Phase 13 exam, held between July 24 and August 1 at 194 centres in 142 cities, faced multiple disruptions. Approximately five lakh candidates appeared for the examination during this period.
These issues sparked widespread protests across Delhi last week, drawing thousands of aspirants to the streets and triggering a strong backlash on social media.
In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said the lathicharge on SSC aspirants and teachers peacefully protesting at Ramlila Maidan was “not just shameful, but the hallmark of a cowardly government.”
रामलीला मैदान में शांतिपूर्ण प्रदर्शन कर रहे SSC अभ्यर्थियों और शिक्षकों पर बर्बर लाठीचार्ज - शर्मनाक ही नहीं, एक डरपोक सरकार की पहचान है।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 25, 2025
युवाओं ने सिर्फ़ अपना हक़ मांगा था - रोज़गार और न्याय। मिली क्या? लाठियां।
साफ़ है - मोदी सरकार को न देश के युवाओं की चिंता है, न उनके…
The protest, held on Sunday, saw the participation of several SSC candidates and their trainers, who were demanding transparency and better conduct of recruitment examinations. The SSC exams have faced repeated complaints of abrupt cancellations, server crashes, unresponsive systems and exam centres located as far as 500 kilometres from candidates’ homes.
“The youth had only demanded their rights — employment and justice. What did they get? Lathis,” Gandhi said.
He alleged that the government first manipulated elections to secure votes, then allowed irregularities in examinations, followed by failures in providing jobs and ultimately sought to suppress citizens’ rights and voices.
The Congress leader further said the government does not prioritise the demands of youth, farmers, the poor, Dalits and minorities, as it does not depend on their votes. He urged people not to be afraid but to stand firm and fight back.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also condemned the alleged police action, claiming the Modi government had made it a “habit” to jeopardise the future of the youth.
“Stealing the future of the country’s youth has become a habit of the Modi government. The brutal lathi-charge by the Modi government’s puppet police on students protesting against rigging in SSC exams at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan is highly condemnable,” Kharge said in a post on X.
देश के युवाओं का भविष्य चोरी करना मोदी सरकार की आदत बन चुकी है।
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) August 25, 2025
दिल्ली के रामलीला मैदान में SSC परीक्षाओं में धाँधली के विरोध में प्रदर्शन कर रहे छात्रों पर मोदी सरकार की कठपुतली पुलिस द्वारा बर्बरता पूर्ण लाठीचार्ज घोर निंदनीय है।
पिछले 11 वर्षों में भाजपा ने हमारे युवाओं के…
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too criticised the government, calling the use of force on protesting students “inhuman and shameful.”
In her post on X, she said, “The youth of the entire country are troubled by rigging in every exam, scams in every recruitment and paper leaks. The corruption in the recruitment process and exams under the BJP rule is ruining the future of the youth.”
दिल्ली के रामलीला मैदान में प्रदर्शन कर रहे SSC छात्रों पर पुलिस बल प्रयोग अमानवीय और शर्मनाक है।
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) August 25, 2025
हर परीक्षा में धांधली, हर भर्ती में घोटाला और पेपर लीक से पूरे देश के युवा त्रस्त हैं। भाजपा राज में भर्ती प्रक्रियाओं और परीक्षाओं में व्याप्त भ्रष्टाचार युवाओं का भविष्य बर्बाद…
Denying the allegations, a senior Delhi Police officer said around 1,500 protestors had gathered at the site, and about 100 refused to leave after the permitted time despite repeated requests.
“Out of those who were not leaving, 44 protestors were detained. There was no lathi-charge,” the officer clarified.
The SSC is a statutory body responsible for conducting recruitment examinations for various posts across ministries, departments and other government organisations.
The Phase 13 exam, held between July 24 and August 1 at 194 centres in 142 cities, faced multiple disruptions. Approximately five lakh candidates appeared for the examination during this period.
These issues sparked widespread protests across Delhi last week, drawing thousands of aspirants to the streets and triggering a strong backlash on social media.
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