'Were they terrorists?': Priyanka Gandhi asks why tear gas, lathis were used on protesting students

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday mounted a sharp attack on the Centre in the Lok Sabha, questioning the use of force against students protesting alleged examination irregularities and asking whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union Home Minister Amit Shah had authorised the police crackdown.

Participating in the debate on the Public Examinations Bill, Priyanka repeatedly accused the government of treating students like criminals instead of listening to their concerns.

"What was the need to fire tear gas shells, lathi-charge students, use water cannons, pellet guns and AK-47s against them? Were they terrorists?" she asked, drawing protests from treasury bench members.

When BJP MPs interrupted her speech, Priyanka stood her ground. "Yes, the Congress is asking these questions. Now answer them," she said.

She then directly questioned the government over who had ordered the use of force.

"Who gave the order? Was it the Prime Minister or the Home Minister? Will the Home Minister answer? The entire country is asking these questions, not just the Congress," she said.

The Wayanad MP also alleged that women students were subjected to excessive force during the protests.

"What was the need to tear the clothes of young girls and beat them mercilessly?" she asked, while accusing the government of suppressing the voices of young people.

"Why are you afraid of the youth of this country? Why are you afraid of their voice? Who gave you the right to suppress it?" she said.

Calling Parliament a forum of accountability rather than power, Priyanka said elected representatives were answerable to the people.

"This House does not belong to those sitting here. It belongs to the people of India. We are servants of the people, not their masters. Democracy and the Constitution are supreme. Destroying them is a sin," she said.

Referring to the recent student protests, she said thousands of young people had demonstrated peacefully while following Mahatma Gandhi's principles of truth and non-violence.

"These are children from villages, towns and cities. Their parents sell jewellery, mortgage land and spend their life's savings on educating them. Today, these students are beginning to believe that dishonesty matters more than hard work. That is the biggest tragedy," she said.

Priyanka alleged that the country's examination system had "failed itself", claiming that repeated paper leaks had eroded students' faith in competitive examinations.

"In the last decade, 152 papers have leaked. But there has not been a single conviction," she said, accusing the government of failing to hold those responsible accountable.

She also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that the government was unwilling to acknowledge the seriousness of the crisis.

"PM Modi and his friends are refusing to accept reality. They still think they can control the narrative and communication," she said.

The Congress leader also questioned the BJP over the farewell accorded to former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in Parliament.

"Dharmendra Pradhan was welcomed in Parliament. What kind of hubris is this? On one side there is sorrow, and you are garlanding him," she said.

Her remarks later triggered an uproar after she referred to Union Minister Pralhad Joshi's reported comments on the premature release of the Bilkis Bano case convicts. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused her of attempting to "character assassinate" the new Education Minister, while BJP MPs demanded that she substantiate her allegations.

Responding to the objections, Priyanka said, "I will authenticate what Pralhad Joshi has said on the release of the Bilkis Bano rape convicts."

Concluding her speech, Priyanka alleged that the government's response to student protests had damaged its own credibility.

"The lathis did not strike the backs of students; they struck the credibility of this government," she said.

She ended with a broad attack on the BJP-led government, saying, "Under this government, there has been vote chori, chanda chori and farmers' land chori. But the biggest theft has been the theft of the dreams of the youth."

Asserting that the Opposition would continue to support students, Priyanka said, "The Congress and the Opposition are ready to sacrifice our lives, but we will not let India lose."