Govt must listen to Maharashtra students' voice otherwise 'Chhatron ki Goonj' will grow louder: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said thousands of students were protesting in Maharashtra after losing trust in the system and urged the BJP governments at the Centre and in the state to address their concerns immediately He warned that the protests could grow if the authorities failed to act on the studentsrsquo demandsGandhi said the concerns raised by students went beyond a single examination or recruitment process and reflected wider dissatisfaction over issues including recruitment delays alleged paper leaks education costs and hostel conditionsGandhi points to wider concerns among studentsIn Maharashtra thousands of students are on the streets protesting peacefully the reason isnrsquot just one exam or recruitment but a trust thatrsquos been shattered by the entire system the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said in a post on XGandhi said students across the country were facing difficulties that according to him were linked to decisions and policies of BJPled governmentsWhether itrsquos the central or state government every student is tormented by the BJP government Paper leaks stalled recruitments the unbearable cost of education inhumane conditions in hostels food like poison fraud in DBT Gandhi saidHis remarks come amid protests by students and job aspirants in Maharashtra over a range of issues including recruitment examinations alleged irregularities and conditions in governmentrun hostelsAttack on MPSC credibilityGandhi also targeted the Maharashtra Public Service Commission MPSC alleging that its credibility had been underminedAnd now theyrsquove seized control of a constitutional body like MPSC and destroyed its credibility he saidThe MPSC conducts recruitment examinations for various posts in the Maharashtra government Concerns surrounding competitive examinations and recruitment procedures have emerged as a major issue for job aspirants in the state particularly amid demands for greater transparency and safeguards against malpracticeGandhi said studentsrsquo demands for measures that would improve their prospects should be taken seriously by the governmentGovernment sets up panel to review recruitment examsHis comments came after the Maharashtra government constituted a highlevel committee to undertake a comprehensive review of the existing recruitment examination system in the stateThe committee has been tasked with suggesting measures to make the examination process more transparent secure reliable and candidatefriendly The move followed protests by students and job aspirants who have raised concerns over examinationrelated issues as well as conditions in student hostelsThe review will cover various stages of the examination process including question paper preparation and scrutiny confidentiality and the secure handling of examination papers management and security at examination centres use of technology and measures to prevent malpracticeIt will also examine coordination among different agencies involved in recruitment examinations grievance redressal mechanisms and the overall experience of candidates appearing for the testsStudentsrsquo protests put pressure on state governmentTribal students and job aspirants in Maharashtra have also held protests over poor hostel conditions student safety and examination paper leaks The demonstrations have put pressure on the state government to address concerns related to both student welfare and the recruitment processThe government has accepted key demands raised by the protesters and announced the new examination reform panel as part of efforts to review the existing systemGandhi said the government should respond to studentsrsquo concerns rather than allow their grievances to remain unresolvedThe government must listen to their voice and act immediately otherwise this will only grow louder until justice is served he asserted