Former Education Minister and BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and the party over the ongoing student protests in Jharkhand, accusing the Opposition
of using the agitation for political gains while remaining silent when similar issues arise in states where it is in power.
Pradhan’s remarks come against the backdrop of demonstrations by students over alleged irregularities and paper leaks in competitive examinations in Jharkhand, where the Congress is part of the ruling alliance with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).
In a post on X, Pradhan alleged that the Congress was misleading students and questioned Gandhi’s engagement with Parliament and the ongoing agitation.
“The leader of opposition, who habitually lies, neither wants to come to Parliament nor listen to answers. They just want to spread their lies and shed crocodile tears,” Pradhan said.
The Sambalpur MP also defended the Centre and Union Home Minister Amit Shah against criticism from the Opposition, accusing Gandhi and the Congress of making allegations without evidence.
“Making baseless, factless false accusations against the Honorable Home Minister Shri Amit Shah ji reveals the political desperation of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress,” he said.
Pradhan Accuses Congress Of Blocking Parliament
The BJP leader further alleged that the government has remained open to discussions on issues raised by the Opposition, but claimed Congress was preventing Parliament from functioning.
“The government is ready for discussion in Parliament on every issue, but Congress is obstructing the temple of democracy, Parliament House, and crushing the interests of the country and the youth,” he said.
छात्रों के हितों को लेकर @INCIndia लगातार झूठ फैला रही है, @RahulGandhi के पास तथ्य नहीं है, आदतन झूठ बोलने वाले नेता प्रतिपक्ष को न संसद में आना है और न जवाब सुनना है। इन्हें तो बस अपना झूठ फैलाकर घड़ियाली आँसू बहाना है।
माननीय गृहमंत्री श्री @AmitShah जी पर बेवजह बिना किसी…
— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) August 11, 2026
Turning his criticism towards the Congress-JMM government in Jharkhand, Pradhan accused it of applying different standards to democratic protests depending on whether the party was in power.
“Congress’s democracy is also ‘selective’-violence against youth where they are in government, and lies and commotion where they want to shine politically,” he said.
He was referring to allegations of police action involving lathi-charge, water cannons and tear gas during the student protests.
Pradhan also questioned Gandhi’s response to the Jharkhand agitation, alleging that the Congress leader, who frequently holds press conferences, has not spoken about the students’ demonstration.
“The youth of the country have fully understood this duplicitous character of the Congress,” Pradhan said, adding that there was “no place for dictatorship in democracy”.
Rahul Gandhi Condemns Police Action
Gandhi, however, has spoken out against the use of force against the protesting students and called for dialogue between the protesters and the Jharkhand government.
“My message to protesting students in Jharkhand is clear. We condemn any violence against peacefully protesting students,” Rahul said.
“It does not matter when it is happening. We condemn it, we are against it, we do not recommend it, and we do not support it. We are very clear,” he said.
Gandhi also stressed that peaceful demonstrations should not be met with force.
“As long as protests are peaceful, we are against any attack on it with violence,” he said.
In a separate post on X, he called for direct engagement with the protesting students.
“Students have a right to peaceful protest, and only dialogue can yield solutions. The Jharkhand government must continue to hear these students out and resolve their issues immediately,” he said.
Several protesters have alleged that they sustained injuries during police action after reaching the final barricade near Jagannathpur Temple on the road towards the Jharkhand Assembly. The state legislature is currently holding its Monsoon Session.
Pradhan’s latest attack also comes days after he stepped down as Union Education Minister amid prolonged student protests in Delhi and other parts of the country over the NEET-UG paper-leak controversy.
