Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday backed student protests in Maharashtra and accused the BJP-led governments of failing to address concerns surrounding competitive examinations, recruitment and the rising cost of education. He said the protests reflected a wider loss of confidence among students in the system.

Gandhi’s remarks came amid protests over alleged irregularities in the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) examination process. The issue has brought renewed attention to concerns raised by aspirants over examination transparency, recruitment delays and the credibility of government recruitment systems.

Rahul Gandhi backs protesting students

In a social media post, Gandhi said thousands of students were protesting peacefully in Maharashtra and argued that their concerns went beyond a single examination-related dispute.

According to Gandhi, students are facing a combination of problems, including alleged paper leaks, delays in recruitment, increasing education costs, inadequate hostel facilities and issues linked to student welfare schemes. He called on the government to listen to the protesters and take action. 

His comments place the Maharashtra student protests within a broader political debate over examination integrity and employment opportunities for young people.

MPSC controversy at the centre

The immediate focus of the protests is linked to allegations of irregularities in MPSC examinations. Students have raised concerns about the fairness and security of the examination process, prompting demands for greater transparency and accountability.

The allegations have also intensified scrutiny of the functioning of recruitment examinations, which play an important role in appointments to government services in the state.

Gandhi criticised the BJP over the issue and alleged that the credibility of institutions involved in recruitment had been weakened. These are political allegations by the Congress leader and have not been established as facts by the available reports.

Maharashtra government sets up review panel

Amid the concerns, the Maharashtra government has announced a high-level committee to review the state's recruitment examination system.

The panel, headed by the Additional Chief Secretary, is tasked with examining measures to improve transparency, security and reliability in recruitment examinations. It is also expected to gather feedback from students, parents, educators, coaching institutes and public representatives.

A special cell is scheduled to collect feedback from residents in Pune district, while the committee is expected to interact directly with students at Savitribai Phule Pune University on September 12. 

Broader concerns among aspirants

The controversy comes against the backdrop of wider concerns among competitive-exam aspirants over paper leaks, delayed recruitment processes and uncertainty surrounding government jobs.

For students preparing for competitive examinations, such disruptions can have significant consequences because recruitment cycles often involve lengthy preparation and multiple stages of testing.

Gandhi sought to connect these concerns with the broader issue of students' confidence in government institutions, saying that the protests reflected a deeper crisis of trust. 

Political battle over student issues

The Maharashtra controversy has also become part of a larger political confrontation between the Congress and the BJP.

Gandhi has increasingly highlighted examination irregularities, recruitment and education-related concerns as issues affecting young people. His intervention in the Maharashtra protests comes as Congress seeks to build a wider campaign around student and employment-related grievances.

The BJP and the Maharashtra government, meanwhile, face pressure to address concerns about recruitment examinations and demonstrate that safeguards are adequate.

Focus shifts to corrective action

With the state government now reviewing its recruitment examination system, the focus is expected to shift towards the measures that will be adopted to improve examination security and restore confidence among candidates.

For protesting students, the key issues remain transparency, accountability and timely resolution of examination-related grievances.

The developments also underline the growing political importance of student concerns over competitive examinations and government recruitment, with opposition parties seeking to make the issue a larger part of the national political conversation.

The issue has gained momentum on social media, with several actors, comedians and public personalities urging authorities to engage in dialogue and address the concerns being raised through the protest.

In a video shared on Instagram, Sonakshi said she had rarely spoken publicly on such matters but felt compelled to do so this time. Referring to Wangchuk’s contributions and public work, she said he was raising issues that he believed were important for students and young people.

The actor rejected suggestions that speaking on public issues should automatically invite criticism. She said she considers herself a young citizen concerned about the country’s future and therefore had every right to express her views.

“I am not anti-national,” Sonakshi said while questioning why citizens should remain silent when they feel concerns need to be addressed. She also appealed for greater sensitivity toward the situation and called for meaningful engagement before matters escalate further.

Her comments came as Wangchuk’s hunger strike entered its nineteenth day. The protest has attracted growing attention online, with supporters demanding discussions around the issues being highlighted by the activist.

Actor Atul Kulkarni also extended his support and announced that he would observe a one-day fast. According to his statement, the gesture was intended to express solidarity with Wangchuk and to better understand the challenges being faced by those participating in the movement.

Kulkarni appealed to citizens to join him in observing a symbolic fast and urged authorities to respond with empathy and dialogue. The actor said peaceful democratic engagement remains important when public concerns are being raised.

Support also came from actor Fatima Sana Shaikh, who shared a message on social media expressing concern over the prolonged nature of the hunger strike. She said no individual should have to risk their health simply to have their voice heard and hoped that discussions would lead to a constructive resolution.

Comedian Samay Raina joined the growing list of personalities commenting on the issue. Sharing a photograph of Wangchuk on social media, he expressed hope that the activist would remain safe and that a solution could be reached through conversation and mutual understanding.

Veteran poet and humorist Surendra Sharma also issued a video message addressed to Wangchuk. In the message, Sharma appealed to him to reconsider the indefinite fast, arguing that public figures with significant influence should preserve their health while continuing to advocate for their causes.

According to Sharma, many young people view Wangchuk as an inspiration and would be deeply affected by any deterioration in his condition. He urged the activist to continue his campaign through other means while ensuring his well-being.

The developments have further expanded the debate around Wangchuk’s protest, which has generated discussions across social media platforms and public forums. While supporters continue to highlight the issues raised during the agitation, others have called for direct engagement between stakeholders to prevent the situation from becoming more serious.

Several members of the film industry had already voiced support in recent days. Public figures including Shabana Azmi, Soni Razdan, Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap have commented on the matter, while others have shared messages urging a peaceful resolution.

With more prominent voices joining the conversation, the spotlight remains firmly on the ongoing hunger strike and the calls for dialogue that continue to grow louder.

South Indian actor and public figure Vijay Thalapathy has once again triggered a nationwide discussion on India’s medical education system after expressing strong criticism of the NEET examination. In his recent remarks, Vijay said that NEET has become a major hurdle for students from rural and economically weaker backgrounds and should either be reformed significantly or replaced entirely.

Vijay argued that the current structure of NEET-based admissions favors students who have access to expensive coaching institutes, primarily located in urban centers. According to him, this creates an unequal playing field where talent alone is not enough to secure a medical seat. He emphasized that many deserving students from villages and small towns are unable to compete effectively due to lack of resources, not lack of ability.

He further suggested that admissions to medical courses such as MBBS, BDS, and AYUSH should be based on Class 12 board examination marks instead of a centralized entrance test. In his view, board examinations are a more inclusive and balanced way to evaluate students because they reflect consistent academic performance over a longer period rather than performance in a single high-pressure exam.

Vijay’s comments have reignited an ongoing national debate about the fairness and effectiveness of NEET. While the exam was introduced to create a uniform standard for medical admissions across India, critics have long argued that it has unintentionally increased dependence on coaching institutions and intensified academic pressure on students.

Supporters of Vijay’s stance believe that eliminating NEET could reduce stress among students and parents, especially in rural areas where access to coaching centers is limited. They argue that the current system has created an education industry dominated by expensive training institutes, making medical education less accessible to economically weaker sections.

According to this viewpoint, relying on Class 12 marks would allow students to focus more on school education rather than spending years preparing separately for entrance exams. It would also reduce the psychological burden associated with competitive testing and restore importance to the regular school curriculum.

However, the proposal has also faced strong counterarguments. Critics say that NEET plays a crucial role in maintaining a uniform national standard for medical admissions. India has multiple school education boards with different marking patterns, difficulty levels, and evaluation methods. Without a common entrance exam, there is concern that inconsistencies in board assessments could lead to unfair advantages for students from certain regions or boards.

Education experts also point out that NEET ensures merit-based selection in one of the most critical professional fields—medicine. They argue that removing the exam could risk lowering standardization and may make the admission process more subjective or uneven.

Despite the debate, Vijay’s statement highlights growing concerns about the mental pressure faced by students preparing for competitive exams. In recent years, several reports have pointed to rising stress levels, anxiety, and even extreme cases of student distress linked to high-stakes entrance examinations like NEET.

Many education activists have called for reforms such as reducing syllabus pressure, improving access to coaching in rural areas, and providing better psychological support systems for students. Vijay’s remarks add to this growing conversation by focusing on structural inequality in access to preparation resources.

His suggestion to return to a board-based admission system is not entirely new. Before NEET became mandatory nationwide, medical admissions in India were partly based on Class 12 marks and state-level entrance exams. However, concerns about variation in grading standards and lack of transparency in some regions led to the introduction of a single national-level test.

Vijay’s comments are expected to draw attention from policymakers, educators, and student groups alike. While he has not announced any formal political proposal, his influence as a public figure ensures that the issue will gain visibility in both media and public discussions.

The debate ultimately centers around two competing priorities: ensuring equal opportunity for all students and maintaining a standardized merit system for medical education. Finding a balance between these two remains a key challenge for India’s education policymakers.

As discussions continue, experts suggest that instead of completely removing NEET, reforms could focus on making the system more equitable. Possible measures include expanding access to quality coaching in rural areas, reducing exam stress, improving school-level science education, and ensuring fairer evaluation mechanisms.

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