New Delhi, 17 June (H.S.): Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will launch the nationwide campaign titled Students' Voice from Kota, Rajasthan, on Wednesday, focusing on the alleged NEET question paper leak and issues affecting students across the country.

According to official information released by the Congress party, the Students' Voice campaign will include rallies, public outreach programmes, demonstrations, and discussions across the country.

The Congress alleged that during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure, the education budget has been reduced from 4.7 per cent a decade ago to 2.4 per cent at present, resulting in the closure of nearly one lakh government schools.

The party also raised concerns over the alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), repeated incidents of question paper leaks, rising coaching fees, and unemployment. It demanded the resignation of the Union Education Minister over these issues.

In its statement, the Congress claimed that 29.1 per cent of graduates in the country are unemployed and that student suicide cases have increased by 65 per cent over the past decade.

Following the launch in Kota, the campaign will continue under the leadership of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) and the Indian Youth Congress. As part of the initiative, Rahul Gandhi will also address conferences to be held in Prayagraj, Patna, and Delhi.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar