Shri Rahul Gandhi attends Golden Jubilee celebrations of St. Thomas English High School

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Shri Rahul Gandhi says our democratic voice under continuous attack

GUDALUR (TAMIL NADU): Addressing the Golden Jubilee celebrations of St. Thomas English High School on January 13, 2026, Shri Rahul Gandhi appreciated the atmosphere prevailing in the institution, saying it exemplified a culture where people listen to each other and treat one another with kindness. “That is exactly like my fight. I also want to help develop an India where people are kind to each other, where people listen to each other, respect each other and respect each other’s language and religion,” he said.

Later, during an interaction with the students, Shri Rahul Gandhi answered a number of their questions while also posing questions to them. The interaction was lively, with students speaking their mind and freely raising issues across a wide range of topics.

Replying to a question on democracy, Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi said, “Democracy is voice. Everyone should have a voice. Democracy is what gives India its voice.” However, he added, “Our democratic structure is under attack. Voice of our people is under attack by those who are running the government… they are attacking our different institutions and threatening people who do not agree with their ideology.”

Appreciating the confidence of the students, Shri Rahul Gandhi remarked, “We need young people who are brave and confident, and are not scared of asking questions.”

Lauding the contribution of educational institutions like St Thomas School, he said, “If in the age of information, we don’t have wisdom, we will get carried away by information and the world will become an unpleasant place where people will fight with each other and harm each other.”

“Schools like this (St. Thomas) have an important role to play because they turn young students into wise citizens,” he added.

Shri Rahul Gandhi said that the country needs a good education system that is not expensive. “It should not be outright privatised as there is a major role for good quality government education,” he said.

Referring to the challenge posed by Artificial Intelligence, Shri Rahul Gandhi said that the country now needs to focus on strengthening the manufacturing sector. He pointed out that most of the products currently in use in the country are made in China.

“We want all these things to be made in India,” he said, adding, “We have to change the mindset and respect people who work with their hands, who work in fields and with their tools.”

Replying to another question, he said that development should not come at the cost of the environment and stressed the need to protect ecology, water bodies and hills, warning against what he described as short-sighted greed in the name of development.