Jaipur, June 17 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Rajasthan Leader of Opposition, Rajendra Rathore, has launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi ahead of his visit to Kota on Wednesday, alleging that the Congress leader’s interaction with students was a “political tourism” exercise aimed at tarnishing the image of the country’s coaching capital.

Addressing the media in Kota, Rathore questioned the timing of Rahul Gandhi’s programme, scheduled just four days before the NEET examination.

“The Congress ‘prince’ (referring to Rahul Gandhi) is coming to Kota for political tourism, he said.

“The sole objective is to malign Kota’s reputation as an education hub. The NEET paper leak case is linked to Maharashtra, so why is an event being organised in Kota?” he asked.

Rathore said that Congress had no moral authority to speak on issues affecting students, claiming that 19 paper leaks took place during the previous Congress-led state government in Rajasthan.

“When the dreams of Rajasthan’s youth were being shattered by repeated paper leaks, where was Rahul Gandhi? Why didn’t he think about the youth then?” Rathore said, adding that former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot had repeatedly raised the issue against his own government.

He alleged that calling students to a public interaction days before a crucial examination would only add to their anxiety.

“Students are focused on their preparations. Bringing them to protests and political events just four days before NEET will create unnecessary stress,” he said.

Claiming that Congress was attempting to revive its political fortunes through the event, Rathore said the programme would be attended largely by party workers rather than students.

“Congress is trying to regain its lost support base, but it will not succeed. This interaction will be nothing more than a political spectacle,” he said.

Referring to preparations for the event, Rathore claimed photographs from a meeting chaired by Kota North MLA Shanti Dhariwal showed Congress workers rather than students.

The BJP leader also highlighted the investigation into the NEET paper leak case, saying that Rajasthan’s Special Operations Group (SOG) had made significant breakthroughs before the case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

He said the investigation had uncovered a network operating from Maharashtra’s Pune and Latur regions and had led to multiple arrests.

Rathore also alleged that Congress leaders in Kota were pressuring coaching students to attend the programme.

“Parents are worried. Students do not want to participate. Fearing poor attendance, Congress leaders are already preparing excuses and alleging that Constitutional authorities are stopping students from attending,” he claimed.

Joining the attack, Rajasthan Energy Minister Heeralal Nagar dismissed Congress’ allegations that students were being prevented from attending the event.

“Kota Congress leaders are going from coaching institute to coaching institute urging students to attend. But students are focused on their studies. The Congress programme is turning into a flop show, and out of frustration they are making baseless allegations,” Nagar said.

Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit Kota on June 17 to interact with students and discuss issues related to examination stress, paper leaks and student suicides, subjects that have become politically charged ahead of the NEET examination.

–IANS

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