'Hallmark of cowardly government': Rahul Gandhi attacks Centre after lathi charge on protesting SSC aspirants; gives call to 'fight back'

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday hit out at the Centre over the alleged lathicharge on Staff Selection Commission (SSC) aspirants and trainers protesting at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan. He accused the Modi government of ignoring the concerns of the youth, alleging it had come to power by “stealing votes.”
In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said the lathicharge on SSC aspirants and teachers peacefully protesting at Ramlila Maidan was “not just shameful, but the hallmark of a cowardly government.”



The protest, held on Sunday, saw the participation of several SSC candidates and their trainers, who were demanding transparency and better conduct of recruitment examinations. The SSC exams have faced repeated complaints of abrupt cancellations, server crashes, unresponsive systems and exam centres located as far as 500 kilometres from candidates’ homes.

“The youth had only demanded their rights — employment and justice. What did they get? Lathis,” Gandhi said.

He alleged that the government first manipulated elections to secure votes, then allowed irregularities in examinations, followed by failures in providing jobs and ultimately sought to suppress citizens’ rights and voices.

The Congress leader further said the government does not prioritise the demands of youth, farmers, the poor, Dalits and minorities, as it does not depend on their votes. He urged people not to be afraid but to stand firm and fight back.


Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also condemned the alleged police action, claiming the Modi government had made it a “habit” to jeopardise the future of the youth.

“Stealing the future of the country’s youth has become a habit of the Modi government. The brutal lathi-charge by the Modi government’s puppet police on students protesting against rigging in SSC exams at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan is highly condemnable,” Kharge said in a post on X.



Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too criticised the government, calling the use of force on protesting students “inhuman and shameful.”

In her post on X, she said, “The youth of the entire country are troubled by rigging in every exam, scams in every recruitment and paper leaks. The corruption in the recruitment process and exams under the BJP rule is ruining the future of the youth.”


Denying the allegations, a senior Delhi Police officer said around 1,500 protestors had gathered at the site, and about 100 refused to leave after the permitted time despite repeated requests.

“Out of those who were not leaving, 44 protestors were detained. There was no lathi-charge,” the officer clarified.

The SSC is a statutory body responsible for conducting recruitment examinations for various posts across ministries, departments and other government organisations.

The Phase 13 exam, held between July 24 and August 1 at 194 centres in 142 cities, faced multiple disruptions. Approximately five lakh candidates appeared for the examination during this period.

These issues sparked widespread protests across Delhi last week, drawing thousands of aspirants to the streets and triggering a strong backlash on social media.


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