Rahul Gandhi Alleges Youth Being Used to Mint Money for Industrialists

Prayagraj: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said India's youths are the country's greatest strength as he spoke about their "dard (pain), data, and daulat (wealth)" to attack the BJP and the RSS.

Addressing the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme at KP Ground here, Gandhi said, "You are the power and pride of India. When I say this, I am talking about every Indian citizen."

He added, "This evening I want to speak to you about dard, data, and daulat."

While there is much talk about America, China and Russia, "India's youths are unparalleled," he said.

In his speech, Gandhi, who wore a half-sleeve pink shirt, throwing an uncharacteristic dash of colour against his usual white, touched upon several topics, from AI and data gathering to the BJP-RSS combine, which he accused of holding sway over young people's minds.

The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha said India has a big chunk of young population and the data it generates would be the key driver of the country's economy in the 21st century.

"India has the youth and the maximum data in the world. Youth plus data equals the 21st century economy," he said.

Gandhi said that AI depends on data generated by people, and while this data belongs to the country's youth, its economic benefits are going to large corporations.

"Data is yours, youth potential is yours, but the system has trapped you in a 'chakravyuh,'" he said.

"You are told to watch as many reels as you want, send as many WhatsApp messages as you want and watch or make as many Instagram reels as you want, but this is the addiction of the 21st century," he said.

Gandhi pointed at images of industrialist Gautam Adani, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat behind him on a screen, and said, "Data is yours, pain is yours, but wealth is theirs? This is the system."

The Congress leader said that Adani's income increased 30 times in the last 10 years, and alleged a quid pro quo with the government.

The former Congress chief also pointed at a corresponding rise in the BJP's fortunes, saying its bank balance had increased from around Rs 150 crore to Rs 10,000 crore.

Gandhi, this time pointing at Bhagwat on the screen, said that an aspect of the "system" is controlling people's thinking, and claimed that RSS functionaries have been placed across the bureaucracy, media, judiciary, paramilitary, universities and colleges.

"This is a way to control your thinking. This is their system," he said.

Gandhi also raised his concerns about the debasement of educational credentials in the country. "Today, education certificates have no meaning in India because they cannot give you a job," he said.

He alleged that students are being trapped between expensive education, unemployment, and irregularities in the way exams are conducted. "You spend money on education, work hard, but all the doors of employment are closed in India."

All doors of employment are "closed" in the country, and a decline in manufacturing, difficulties in securing loans, exam paper leaks and artificial intelligence replacing jobs are hurting the youths' prospects, he said.

"You study for years, and then there is a paper leak and some rich child or rich family buys the paper and destroys your future," Gandhi said.

Students Avinash and Ajay shared their experiences of preparing for recruitment exams and how they faced delays and other irregularities.

Gandhi paid his homage to the students for leading several protests, one of which led to the resignation of ex-education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

"In this darkness, you did what your parents could not do. You faced your fear… You raised your voice not with hatred, but with love," he said.

Gandhi said the youth "lit a light in the darkness" by confronting their fears and, in doing so, helped change the country.

He also advised the youth never to resort to hate in dealing with their problems.

"We will never resort to hatred or violence. We will change the system with love and affection," he said.

"You are India's spirit, you are India's future. You are the most beautiful youngsters in the world," Gandhi said. "You are loving youth. You have to open a shop of love and fight with love."

Gandhi spoke before a large gathering of students and competitive exam aspirants, who turned up despite waterlogging and muddy patches at the venue.

Dance performances by rappers from Mumbai were staged ahead of his arrival.

In the run-up to the much-publicised event, the Congress on Friday took out a motorcycle rally in the city, led by the party's Uttar Pradesh president Ajay Rai.