Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday (June 16, 2026) alleged that a message was being sent in Kota, which is Lok Sabha Speaker’s constituency, that no one should attend Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s proposed interactive programme in the city on June 17 on the alleged NEET paper leak.

“A message has been conveyed as if Om Birla Ji is opposed to Mr. Gandhi’s visit and no one should attend it. He should clarify his position on why such a situation has arisen and at whose behest did all this happen,” Mr. Gehlot said here while talking to journalists.

Mr. Gehlot said there was enthusiasm among students and Congress workers regarding the programme, where the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha is scheduled to interact with students over the issues related to the exam paper leaks, unemployment and concerns of youngsters.

The veteran Congress leader said the functionaries linked to the office of Lok Sabha Speaker were pressuring coaching institutes, paying guest accommodations and guesthouse operators to discourage students from attending the programme. “They are being threatened and told to be prepared to face the consequences,” he said.

Mr. Gehlot said such actions were contrary to democratic norms and a person occupying a constitutional position, such as that of the Lok Sabha speaker, should not endorse this approach. It did not befit the Speaker to create a situation that instils fear in people’s minds about the fate of their institutions, he added.

Mr. Gehlot also said the administration was removing the hoardings of Mr. Gandhi’s programme and described it as a “political conspiracy by a jittery Bharatiya Janata Party”. “First threats to coaching institutes, then pressure on students, and now removing hoarding… Why is the BJP so terrified?” he asked.

The former Chief Minister said the students’ voices would not be silenced by removing hoardings and a large number of youngsters would join the programme in Kota following the BJP’s “act of authoritarianism”.