Both prez poll contenders people of stature, neither of them can be remote-controlled: Rahul Gandhi
Turuvekere (Karnataka) (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday dismissed suggestions that the next party chief could be remote-controlled by the Gandhi family, asserting that both leaders in the fray Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor are people of stature and understanding.
Addressing a press conference here during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi said he is not alone in the yatra, lakhs of people have joined it as they are tired of unemployment, price rise and inequality.
Asked about criticism from certain quarters that the next Congress president could be remote-controlled by the Gandhi family, the former party chief said, "Both the people who are standing (in the polls) have a position, have a perspective and are people of stature and people of understanding. I don't think either of them is going to be a remote control (chief) and frankly, this tone is insulting to both of them."
Gandhi also said that by nature he believes in 'tapasya' and wanted an element of suffering in this communication to people through the Bharat Jodo Yatra which seeks to cover a distance of about 3,500 km from Kanyakumari to Kashmir on foot.
He said spreading hatred and violence is an anti-national act and "we'll fight anybody who indulges in it".
"We are opposing the new education policy as it's distorting our history and traditions. We want a decentralised education system," he added.
Bharat Jodo Yatra is not for the 2024 elections and the Congress wants to unite people against the division of the country being carried out by the BJP-RSS, Gandhi said.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
