Rahul Gandhi backs students protesting against paper leak in Uttarakhand, calls BJP 'paper chor'
New Delhi(PTI): Extending his full support to students protesting against a recent paper leak in Uttarakhand, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said unemployment is directly linked to "vote chori", and alleged that the other name of BJP is "paper chor".
In a post on X, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha also alleged that the BJP is not bothered about jobs for the youth but about remaining in power through "vote chori" (vote theft) during elections.
"Today, BJP's other name is 'Paper Chor'! The repeated paper leaks across the country have ruined the lives and dreams of millions of hardworking youth," he said in his post in Hindi.
Gandhi said the recent paper leak in Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSSC) graduate-level examination is the latest example, where lakhs of youth toiled day and night but BJP dashed all their hard work through theft.
"We have been continuously demanding that a strong and transparent system be created to stop paper leaks. But the Modi government is turning a blind eye to this, because they are not concerned about youth unemployment, but about their own power," Gandhi alleged.
Noting that unemployment is the biggest problem facing the country today, which is directly linked to "vote chori", the Congress leader alleged that "the 'paper chors' know that even if the youth don't get jobs, they will remain in power by stealing votes during elections".
"The youth are on the streets, raising the slogan 'Paper Chor, Gaddi Chhod' (paper thieves, leave the throne)," he claimed.
Asserting that this is not just a fight for jobs for the youth, Gandhi said it is a fight for justice and democracy.
"I stand firmly with every student and youth in this fight for justice," he said, using the hashtag '#PaperChorGaddiChod'.
Gandhi had coined the term "vote chori" during his recent Voter Adhikar Rally in poll-bound Bihar to highlight his allegation that polls had been "rigged" in the country.
Gandhi has been accusing the BJP of indulging in "vote chori" during elections, claiming that it sought to "illegally" delete and add votes in "connivance" with the Election Commission, a charge which both the ruling party and the poll body vehemently denied.
Amid the uproar caused by the leaking of three pages of a question paper during a competitive examination for various departments on September 21, a large number of students, under the banner of the Uttarakhand Berozgar Sangh, have put up tents on the road outside the Parade Ground in Dehradun where they are sitting on an indefinite strike.
आज BJP का दूसरा नाम है - पेपर चोर!
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 26, 2025
देशभर में बार-बार होने वाले पेपर लीक ने करोड़ों मेहनती युवाओं की ज़िंदगी और सपनों को तबाह कर दिया है।
उत्तराखंड का UKSSSC पेपर लीक इसका ताज़ा उदाहरण है। लाखों युवाओं ने दिन-रात मेहनत की, लेकिन BJP ने चोरी से उनकी पूरी मेहनत पर पानी फेर दिया।… pic.twitter.com/dr0yHX61hq
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
