The paper-leak agitation, led by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, has united the Congress party and revitalised it across the nation. Although Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has resigned, the Congress has secured a significant issue concerning students—one it intends to champion in its own way.
While this movement has seen Rahul Gandhi emerge as a serious leader, his sister, Priyanka Gandhi, has taken charge aggressively, displaying a different facet of her persona. Both inside and outside Parliament, Priyanka has stood as a protective shield for her brother. Whether answering media queries or putting the media itself in the dock, she displayed a distinct, assertive attitude. The result was that, after a long time, the Congress appeared to be standing firmly on its own feet across the country. The stance Rahul Gandhi adopted regarding the agitation is being viewed as the right one; notably, he refrained from visiting Jantar Mantar initially—a decision considered politically astute. His decision to lead a protest near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence—following the lathi-charge on youths protesting against the paper-leak proved to be a masterstroke, acting as a ‘trump card.’
Regardless of the speculation surrounding the move, from a political perspective, Rahul played what was arguably the first truly wise move of his career, injecting new life into the party and galvanising Congress workers nationwide.
During the protest, Priyanka Gandhi demonstrated great presence of mind; the counsel she whispered to her brother Rahul proved to be highly effective. Rahul refused to yield to the government’s demand to call off the protest and remained steadfast. The dramatic manner in which the police detained Congress members subsequently benefited the government while also providing the Congress with a significant opportunity to gauge its own strength. The arrests of Rahul and Priyanka had a major impact on the ‘Cockroach Party’s’ agitation.
The opposition parties split into two factions: on one side, the Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi, pursued its own political strategy, while on the other were opposition parties that arrived at Jantar Mantar merely seeking media visibility. Following the resignation of the ‘Pradhan’ (chief), the Congress may continue its pressure tactics in Parliament for a few more days; however, if the government introduces a bill with stricter laws to curb exam malpractice, the Congress might well come on board. Although the ‘Cockroach Party’s’ protest was confined to Jantar Mantar, the Congress gave direction to the movement nationwide. The agitation gained momentum in states like Bihar, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh. Congress workers across the states staged protests, courted arrest, and organized candlelight marches. This helped boost the flagging morale of the party cadre. In fact, the Congress had been raising the issue of paper-leaks for the past month and a half, with its frontal organisations running campaigns across the country, yet the issue had failed to gain traction.
Notably, Rahul Gandhi had even held an event titled ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ (Voice of Students) in Kota, Rajasthan, on June 17. After that, he went on leave. Upon his return, he held the ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ (Students’ Echo) event in Dehradun.
