Indore: Speaking at his ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme in Indore, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval of snooping on people’s phones and accessing their WhatsApp and Facebook communications. Doval, he claimed, was part of a six-member “system” controlling the country.
“This is Ajit Doval ji, the National Security Adviser. In informal conversations, he says that if you want to control India, you only need to control 500 people. He has control over India’s telephones, WhatsApp and Facebook communication. He gets phones tapped. And he gives this information to Amit Shah ji, Narendra Modi ji. Doval ji is sitting inside this phone. Doval ji is sitting inside your phone,” the Congress leader said during his address to the students.
Gandhi mounted a fresh attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Doval, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and industrialists Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, claiming that they are the ones who are “conning” the nation.
“This system has captured the country. There are different layers in the system. At the top level, there are six people sitting there. At the top level sit six individuals who run it. Narendra Modi ji, he handles the intimidation, the acts of beating students, the use of nail-studded batons and the firing of pellet guns; Amit Shah ji runs it, he is the enforcer. This is Ajit Doval ji, the National Security Advisor… In the middle is Mohan Bhagwat ji, who deals with ideology… Then, on one side, there is Adani ji, and on the other, Ambani ji.”
The speech came after a rousing welcome for Gandhi, with thousands of students and supporters gathering at the venue.
Roads leading to the venue were packed, and the route from the airport lined with banners and posters, while loudspeakers hailed Gandhi as the “messiah of the youth” and the country’s future. Supporters brought out golden chariots, waved flags, beat drums, and carried placards as processions moved through the city.
By the time Gandhi arrived, the venue was full to the brim, with several others peering in from the outside. Some supporters even climbed barricades and pushed through queues to catch a glimpse of the Leader of Opposition, with crowds stretching several kilometres around the venue.
While the Delhi University Students’ Union election results were being announced, the mood at Gandhi’s event in Indore remained upbeat despite NSUI, the Congress party’s student wing, being pushed out of the panel altogether this year.
Gandhi’s speech revolved around student reform and what he described as an attack on institutions across the country.
“Education is not a luxury. Education is not a favour. Education is the right of every student in India. Whether it is politics, whether it is business, whether it is judiciary, bureaucracy, education, media, entertainment, sports—every institution has been captured by the system and the system has placed one of its people in every institution,” he said
Gandhi said that the education budget had fallen from 4.6 percent in 2014 to 2.6 percent, while 1.5 crore students had lost scholarships in the last decade and 10 lakh teachers posts remained vacant. “In the last 10 years, 1.5 crore students have lost their scholarships. There are 10 lakh teacher vacancies,” he said.
Gandhi also claimed that one lakh government schools had been shut over the past few years, linking the closures to privatisation and cost-cutting.
“One lakh government schools have been closed. Fifty-five per cent of these closures have happened in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh,” he said.
Gandhi also said that the system was threatened by students because they asked questions. “The system is afraid of students. Why? Because students ask questions. This is why the system does not want students. The system wants ‘andhbhakts’,” Rahul Gandhi said.
“An andhbhakt is the opposite of a student. A student asks questions and is curious. A student is loving, humble, fearless, tolerant and honest. An andh-bhakt spreads hatred, is arrogant, fearful and dishonest,” he added.
Gandhi also gave students from across Madhya Pradesh a chance to speak about their problems, including recruitment delays, paper leaks, university issues, lack of hostels, scholarships, and the rising cost of education.
One MPPSC aspirant told Gandhi that 13 percent of posts had remained on hold for years, leaving candidates waiting for appointments. A nursing student said she had enrolled in 2020 for a four-year course but was still in her third year in September 2026, with her results and fourth-year examination pending.
He later spoke about the Delhi PG building collapse that killed seven people and interacted with the family of 18-year-old Arpit, who died in the incident. The family told him about the difficulties they faced in getting information about Arpit and alleged delays in the rescue operation. “Arpit’s family told me that they were not getting information and that the rescue operation was delayed,” Gandhi said.
He ended the programme by returning to his message to students and asking them to hold on to the qualities he said made them different.
“Our aim is that the hope that has been broken inside you should return strongly. You should start believing in education and in the system again. We want an India of students. We do not want an India of andh-bhakts,We do not want an India of violence and hatred. We want your India. We want to hear your voice,” Gandhi said.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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