New Delhi [India], July 25 (ANI): Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a direct attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah, holding him personally responsible for police action and excessive use of force, including allegedly using pellet guns, against student protesters in the national capital.

Speaking at a press conference, Gandhi alleged that Shah authorised the usage of lethal weapons during the protests, citing it as a fundamental issue in Parliament.

'We hold Amit Shah directly responsible for the violence that has taken place against our students. He authorised the shooting of our students. He authorised the use of lethal weapons, including pellet guns, against our students. For us, this is a fundamental issue. We will not accept our own forces shooting at the future of India. This will be a major issue in Parliament,' he said,

Gandhi emphasised that the protests were a direct outcome of the failed 'education system, media system, and job creation system' in the country, adding that this could seriously impact the country in case of an economic crisis in the future.

'The students are also demanding an apology from the Prime Minister. This protest has happened, and the deeper reason behind it is that India's systems- the job creation system, education system, institutional system, and media system have been destroyed. They have ceased to function effectively. There are consequences to this. We are now facing a serious economic crisis. During times of serious economic crisis, these systems become even more important. The government should understand that what has happened here is just one step in a much deeper problem,' he said.

The Congress MP further underlined that these student protests were a stern warning to the government, saying that it is high time that the centre stop treating the country as its 'personal fiefdom.' Gandhi added that if the government continues to ignore the youth, a similar situation with a greater impact could arise in the future.

'The government needs to start listening to what the people of India are saying. This is a warning to them. This is a warning from the students of India and from the opposition that you cannot run India in the way you have been running it. This is not your personal fiefdom. This is not something that belongs to you. This country belongs to the people of India. It belongs to the Constitution of India. All these institutions do not belong to you. If you continue down this path, you will see that what has happened now will happen on a scale ten times larger. That is the basic message,' he said.

LoP Rahul Gandhi demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi apologise to the students, adding that both implementers and organisers who attacked, assaulted, and beat the students should be dealt with legal action.

'Our education system has been hollowed out from within. So, deep steps will have to be taken. I don't think they can take these, but let's see. The students had two more demands. They should not be forgotten. The first demand is that action should be taken against both the implementers and organisers who attacked, assaulted, and beat the students, and that action should be visible. The students should see that these people have been punished for this reason. Secondly, the main operator of the system, Narendra Modi ji, should apologise to the students of India,' he said.

Calling Dharmendra Pradhan 'a symbol of corruption and destruction of the education system,' Gandhi said that the government will have to take concrete steps to make reforms in the education system.

'This is the victory of our students. This is the future of India. The education system, which used to be our pride, the whole world acknowledged that the education system of India is very good. It has been under attack for years. It is being captured, it is being privatised. This was a reaction to that. Pradhan is a symbol. A symbol of corruption, a symbol of destruction of the education system, a symbol of incompetence. He had to go. And it is good that he went. But now the government will have to take concrete steps to change the education system,' he said,

Targeting Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), he added, 'The RSS's capture of the education system of India is a big issue. If it is Modi ji's fault, then the RSS is equally at fault.'

The remarks came after Pradhan resigned from the Union Cabinet today, stating that he had submitted his resignation to PM Modi to ensure that the protests over examination irregularities were not exploited by 'anti-national forces.'

The resignation came after weeks of nationwide protests over alleged examination irregularities and a 26-day hunger strike led by Wangchuk at Jantar Mantar. The agitation was spearheaded by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which has been demanding accountability over alleged paper leaks. On July 20, the group organised a 'Sansad Chalo' march from Jantar Mantar to the Parliament, during which instances of laathi charge and tear gas shelling were reported to disperse the huge crowd gathered in central Delhi. (ANI)