Rahul Gandhi of the Indian National Congress said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh are equally responsible for capturing India's education system [1].
The accusation highlights a growing political conflict over the ideological direction of national schooling and higher education in India. By targeting both the head of government and the ideological wing of the ruling coalition, Gandhi is framing the issue as a systemic capture rather than a series of policy failures.
Gandhi targeted the leadership of the education ministry during his remarks. He said that Dharmendra Pradhan is a symbol of the education system's destruction [1]. This critique suggests that the current administration is not merely mismanaging the sector but is actively dismantling it to suit a specific ideological agenda.
According to Gandhi, the influence of the RSS has played a critical role in this process. He said that Modi and the RSS are equally at fault for the capture of the education system [1]. The statement implies a coordinated effort to reshape academic curricula, and institutional governance.
This critique comes as part of a broader effort by the Indian National Congress to challenge the government's record on social services and intellectual freedom. The party has frequently argued that the current leadership seeks to instill a narrow nationalist perspective within classrooms—an effort Gandhi describes as a capture of the system.
While the government has not issued a formal rebuttal to these specific comments, the tension between the Congress party and the RSS over educational standards remains a central pillar of India's political discourse.
“Modi and RSS are equally at fault for the capture of the education system.”
This rhetoric signals a strategy by the Indian National Congress to link the Prime Minister's executive actions directly to the RSS's ideological goals. By labeling the education minister as a 'symbol' of destruction, Gandhi is attempting to personalize the systemic critique, making the abstract concept of 'institutional capture' a tangible political target for voters.
