In a fiery statement that has sparked yet another round of political debates, congress leader rahul gandhi drew an unusual comparison between the alleged paper leak incidents and the mythological story of Eklavya, where his thumb was cut off. gandhi claimed that just as Eklavya’s thumb was severed, the future of the youth is similarly being crippled by the alleged paper leaks. He singled out the bihar Public service Commission (BPSC) exam, where candidates are now protesting against paper leaks and demanding cancellation of the examination.

The congress leader went on to accuse the ruling nda government of attempting to conceal its failures by resorting to lathi-charging the protesting students instead of addressing their grievances. He deemed the government’s response to the issue as “extremely shameful and reprehensible,” adding that any attempts to "tamper with the future of the students will not be tolerated." gandhi reiterated his support for the students, vowing to fight for their justice.

However, while Gandhi’s words resonate with frustration over the system's alleged corruption, his party’s history is far from free of controversy on similar matters. congress, during its tenure, was no stranger to its own share of scandals involving recruitment exams and alleged paper leaks. For example, the infamous 2013 Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) paper leak scandal, which came to light under the Congress-led UPA government, raised serious questions about the transparency of recruitment exams. Back then, the Railway minister was forced to issue a statement, but little concrete action was taken to address the larger systemic failures.

What’s more ironic is the Congress’s leadership, which, at the time, was also accused of being complacent about corruption and mishandling sensitive issues of national importance. Fast forward to today, and gandhi, in a strongly worded statement, is now positioning himself as the champion of the youth, even as his own party’s track record raises eyebrows.

The dramatic shift from being at the helm of similar controversies to now vehemently opposing the government's actions in bihar highlights the inconsistency in political rhetoric. While the NDA’s approach to handling protests may be up for debate, Congress' own history of dealing with such issues has hardly been stellar.

Thus, Gandhi’s condemnation of the nda, while pointing fingers at corruption and the plight of students, feels more like a convenient narrative to attack the ruling party than a sincere, consistent call for reform. The call for justice seems genuine, but the irony lies in the fact that the congress, too, has been complicit in incidents where students' futures were at stake. The echoes of those past scandals continue to resonate, and the public may be left wondering: Is this really about the students, or simply a well-timed political attack?