From Delhi’s protest to Chennai’s students, Rahul Gandhi takes on Modi over dissent

As protesters gathered in New Delhi on Saturday demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls, Rahul Gandhi was in Chennai, meeting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay over lunch before addressing students at ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj.’ The Congress leader’s absence from the Delhi demonstration, which had the backing of the Aam Aadmi Party and Left parties, highlighted the differing approaches within the opposition to the campaign against the Election Commission. The Congress carefully kept its distance from the Delhi protest, maintaining that Gandhi’s Chennai programme had been scheduled earlier.

But Gandhi did not leave the controversy behind in Delhi. At the student interaction at Island Grounds, he attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), urging young people to continue protesting against what he described as an assault on the Constitution. “The core characteristic of these people is cowardice,” Gandhi said, referring to Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. He asserted that the political space available to them was narrowing and said those who had attacked the Constitution would ultimately be defeated.

“They are silencing voices as you saw in Delhi,” he said, alleging that internet services had been shut down, police had beaten students and BJP supporters had assaulted protesters. For Gandhi, the issue went beyond a single demonstration. He sought to make the right to question authority central to his message to young Indians, connecting democratic freedoms with curiosity, innovation and progress.

“Questioning is the foundation of curiosity, questioning is also the foundation of progress,” he told the gathering, arguing that every innovation, business, artistic achievement and national advancement begins with a question. And these remarks by Gandhi in the middle of his interaction with the students gave a political edge. With his interactive sessions with the students Gandhi turned the platform, which was presented as a forum for young people to discuss their concerns, to renew his attack on the Union government over democracy and the freedom to dissent.

This was Congress’s sixth edition of Chhatron Ki Goonj, also known as Maanavargalin Kural in Tamil, was organised at Chennai’s Island Grounds as part of the Congress’s nationwide student outreach initiative. The programme aimed to bring students into direct conversation with the Leader of the Opposition on education, jobs and the challenges confronting young people. The issues on the agenda included the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), examination irregularities, paper leaks, rising education costs, recruitment and unemployment. The Congress also highlighted concerns about access to education for girls and women and the impact of the Centre’s education policies on students in Tamil Nadu. During the hour-long interaction with the students, Gandhi emphasised on questioning authority which became much relevant to the student audience.

The choice of Chennai also gave the programme a distinct regional context. Tamil Nadu has long debated the relationship between the Union government and the states, particularly over language, education policy and NEET. By addressing these concerns alongside the national debate over electoral rolls, Gandhi sought to connect the Congress’s campaign for democratic accountability with issues that directly affect students.

Invoking Tamil Nadu’s reformist legacy and Periyar

Gandhi also invoked the legacies of Periyar and Thiruvalluvar, drawing on Tamil Nadu’s traditions of social reform, equality and intellectual inquiry. His references sought to place the Congress’s defence of constitutional values within a political culture that has historically emphasised social justice and state rights.

However, the event was not a conventional political rally. Designed as an interactive session, with registered students expected to raise questions about their education and employment prospects, it was dominated by cultural events before Gandhi’s arrival. Rap singer Therukkural Arivu sang as the students went on a vibe mode, shouting “TVK…TVK…” making the event unfold against a politically charged backdrop.

A political balancing act

Rahul Gandhi’s visit also carried significance for Tamil Nadu politics. Before the student interaction, Rahul called on chief minister and TVK leader C. Joseph Vijay over lunch at the latter’s Neelankarai residence. The meeting was their first since the TVK joined the INDIA bloc under the Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance. The meeting brought together two leaders whose political priorities overlap on issues like the student protests in Delhi, opposition to SIR. But the two seem to have distinct organisational interests. For the Congress, the new relationship with TVK offers a fresh political arrangement in Tamil Nadu. For Gandhi, the Chennai visit provided an opportunity to engage with students while meeting a chief minister who has become a key partner in the state.

The timing, however, presented a contrast. While Opposition parties and activists protested in Delhi over the Election Commission, Gandhi was engaging with students in Chennai. His speech attempted to bridge the two settings by making the freedom to question authority the central theme. Whether that message resonates with young people will depend not only on the rhetoric of the event but also on whether their concerns over examinations, educational access and jobs receive sustained political attention.

For Gandhi, the challenge was to turn a student interaction into a broader argument about democracy. In Chennai, he made the case that the right to question those in power is not merely a political demand but it is also essential to learning, innovation and progress. But the larger political question is if Congress’s ally, the ruling TVK in Tamil Nadu will tow the same line and join the INDIA bloc at the national level.