3 min readNew DelhiAug 5, 2026 04:07 AM IST
Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday that the students of India are in “severe pain” and they don’t need Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s forgiveness but his apology for his government’s actions against them.
Speaking at an event to launch the book of former MP Vaiko, Rahul said the students are on the streets because of the RSS attempts to change the country’s history, adding that “India will not tolerate its history to be trampled upon by anybody”. The book titled “Vaiko in Parliament” was released at the Constitution Club of India.
In his speech, Rahul said: “Whenever I judge a politician, the first thing, most important thing I look for is consistency. Does the person believe in some ideas, maintain those ideas consistently, or does the person say one thing one day, another thing the next day … another thing the third day. And Mr Vaiko has been among the most consistent parliamentarians in our country. He holds a consistent position, does not compromise … the position is clear.”
Rahul added, “Students are on the streets … in severe pain, they don’t have work, they are asking for fairness in exams, they are asking for an education system that works, and on the other side we have the Prime Minister who is forgiving them. Who is he to forgive them? I don’t know. Where he gets the idea that he has the right to forgive the future of India, I don’t know, but that’s what he chooses to do. And behind the thinking of the Prime Minister, and behind the thinking of his colleagues, and particularly the RSS, is a very dangerous and caustic idea. The idea that this country is not an expression of the many.”
The senior Congress leader thanked Vaiko for his service to the country, saying that it was an honour to be at the launch of his book. “He is an inspiration for all of us,” he said.
Among others present at the event were Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Tamil Nadu Education Minister A Rajmohan, TMC MP Sagarika Ghosh, Congress leaders P Chidambaram and Manickam Tagore, besides former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah, CPIM general secretary M A Baby, CPI general secretary D Raja, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, RJD leader Manoj Kumar Jha, and NCP-SP leader Supriya Sule.