Video summary
Rahul Gandhi opens his podcast by addressing the student protests on July 20th, 2026, which united young people from all backgrounds to demand a fair education system and accountability for paper leaks. He describes these protesters as brave individuals who exercised their constitutional rights under Article 19 through peaceful resistance, singing, dancing, and standing together against fear. However, instead of listening to their demands, the government responded with brutal violence involving tear gas shells, nail-studded lathis, pellet guns, and firearms like AK-47s in Siwan, Bihar. The transcript highlights specific tragedies, such as 19-year-old Sahil Locha being shot repeatedly with lead pellets that likely blinded him, while young women were assaulted on their private parts and minors suffered broken bones from baton attacks by security forces deployed near the Parliament House in Delhi.
Gandhi then presents a stark logical dilemma regarding Home Minister Amit Shah's responsibility for this unconstitutional violence, arguing there are only two possibilities: either he authorized the attack, making him culpable, or he was completely unaware of it happening while controlling forces that report directly to his office, rendering him incompetent. In both scenarios, Gandhi insists that as the head of security operations in Delhi and a central figure credited with all government successes, Shah must resign because the violence is ultimately his responsibility. He criticizes the Modi government's centralized control narrative, noting that nothing moves without their approval, yet they failed to prevent or stop this assault on students right at the heart of democracy, thereby proving either malicious intent or gross negligence in leadership.
The speech further condemns the subsequent actions taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, who Gandhi claims have refused to order any inquiry or issue a statement despite daily opposition motions being rejected. Instead, the government has activated propaganda machinery and godi media while continuing detentions of protesters to intimidate them, with online trolls threatening young female demonstrators into issuing public apologies. Gandhi finds it absurd for Prime Minister Modi to personally release videos forgiving youth who are merely exercising their legitimate right to express themselves when they demand accountability from elected officials. He asserts that this behavior demonstrates a leader out of touch with reality and warns that the awakened youth across India will not allow these crimes or any official involved in them to escape consequences without facing justice soon.
Concluding his argument, Rahul Gandhi reaffirms that the opposition stands firmly with the students who demanded accountability on July 20th from those they elected to office. He emphasizes that while the government's image may be temporarily protected through media manipulation and intimidation tactics, it is ultimately destroyed by such actions and can never be rebuilt if true justice is served. The transcript ends with a powerful declaration that sooner or later, the students will receive the accountability they deserve, and Gandhi pledges that he and his party will ensure this happens so that these crimes do not pass unpunished under any administration in India.
Read the full video transcript
Namaskar. This is Rahul Gandhi speaking.
In this podcast, I want to talk about
the students. The student protest has
raised some very important questions
about our education system and the way
the Modi government responds when young
people demand accountability. I recently
wrote about this in the Hindu. Today, I
want to share those thoughts with you
and reflect on the violence perpetrated
against our students and the
government's response thereafter. On the
20th of July 2026, India's young people
came together to demand a fair education
system and accountability for paper
leaks. These young women and men came
from every cast, class, region, and
religion. They were brave enough to
demand justice,
wise enough to know their constitutional
rights, tender enough to laugh at their
own turmoil, and earnest enough to
believe that they could fight and win.
The nation watched the protesters in awe
as they sang, danced, laughed, held
hands, and stood together. Their
resistance gave voice to the pain both
of their own generation and of crores of
Indians who are suffering but have been
silenced by fear. The protests carried
forward India's proud legacy of peaceful
resistance, a tradition which won it
independence and is protected by Article
19 of the Constitution. Yet, the
government tried to crush the youth's
voice with a brutal assault.
They were attacked with tear gas shells,
beaten with nail-studded lathi, and shot
with pellet guns. 19-year-old Sahil
Locha, whom I met,
had hundreds of lead pellets lodged all
over his upper body.
A pellet struck his eye, likely blinding
him. Policemen wielding batons brutally
assaulted young women, injuring many on
their private parts. Minors were beaten
with lathi, their bones broken, gashes
and bruises on their bodies. In Bihar,
student protesters were shot with
firearms, including an AK-47 in Siwan,
leaving many severely injured. Who
authorized this illegal and
unconstitutional violence? The Narendra
Modi government prides itself on its
centralized control, whether it is a
mission to Mars or an Olympic medal, it
repeatedly trumpets that the credit is
due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
Home Minister Amit Shah.
Nothing moves without their approval.
The violence happened in the heart of
Delhi, barely 500 m from Parliament.
Both the security forces deployed, the
Delhi police and the Rapid Action Force,
RAF, report directly to the Home
Minister. There are only two
possibilities. First, he authorized the
attack on the students, in which case
he's culpable. Second, he had no idea
that it was taking place, which means
that he's entirely incompetent. Either
way, as Home Minister, what happened on
that day is his responsibility and he
must resign. Instead, his inaction
proves that he approves of the attack on
students.
He has not ordered any inquiry or even
issued a statement. He has refused to
come to Parliament
and motions filed daily by the
opposition asking for a discussion have
been summarily rejected. At the same
time, Prime Minister Modi, desperate to
protect his image, has activated his
propaganda machinery and Godi media.
First information reports and detentions
of young protesters continue in order to
intimidate the Bharatiya Janata Party's
online trolls threaten young female
protesters and their parents, forcing
them to issue public apologies. Prime
Minister Modi personally made a video
forgiving the youth of India for
exercising their legitimate right to
express themselves. How absurd it is for
a Prime Minister to forgive his own
people when they are demanding
accountability. Since Prime Minister
Modi is clearly so out of touch, let me
warn him, young people across the
country have awakened. His image is
destroyed and can never be rebuilt. The
youth of India will not allow him, Home
Minister Shah,
or any official to escape the
consequences of their actions.
We in the opposition stand with the
youth. We will not allow these crimes to
pass unpunished. On the 20th of July,
2026,
Sahil and thousands of young people
across India demanded accountability
from those they elected to office.
Sooner or later, they will get that
accountability, and we will ensure it.
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