The remarks triggered a protest from Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who demanded that Gandhi substantiate his allegations and apologise to the House.

“You are the Leader of the Opposition. Speak with seriousness. On what basis did you make this statement? How can he say that someone ordered firing? It is a breach of his own position and privilege,” Rijiju said.

Speaker Om Birla also intervened, urging Gandhi to make statements based on facts and maintain the dignity of the House.

Opposition members responded by raising slogans of “Rahul ji ko bolne do (Let Rahul speak)”, leading to noisy scenes in the House.

Following the adjournment, Congress general secretary (organisation) and Alappuzha MP K C Venugopal said the Delhi Police is totally under the control of the Home Ministry. “The Delhi Police Commissioner is taking orders only from the Home Ministry. The Home Minister has to come to the House, and he has to explain that he did not order this. When the LoP is raising this issue in the House, they are not allowing him to speak at all. When he started his speech, they tried to stop him. They know very well that they are completely guilty. This entire episode of atrocities against the students happened only due to the actions of the Home Ministry,” he said .

Earlier in his speech, Gandhi defended the protesting students, saying they had shown courage in standing up to the BJP and the RSS.

“The students of the country are saying we will not become andhbhakts (blind followers) under any circumstances. This is a beautiful expression. Their parents perhaps did not have the courage to face the BJP and the RSS. Yet these children, brave, imaginative and powerful, stood there and faced whatever you threw at them,” he said.

He alleged that students in India were discouraged from questioning authority and accused the RSS of exercising control over education.

“Students are not allowed to be students in India. They are not allowed to follow their passion. They are not allowed to ask questions. They have to buy this nonsensical history that the RSS fantasises. Every single university has an RSS vice-chancellor. Your real enemy is the RSS, which wants you to become andhbhakts,” Gandhi said.

Targeting Pradhan, Gandhi said any resignation by the minister would be “superficial” because, according to him, the ministry was effectively being run by the RSS.

“Rajnath Singhji said we are not the UPA and our ministers never resign. He is right. The resignation of Pradhan is superficial because he never ran the education system. The Education Ministry is run by the RSS. The man who runs it is the OSD sitting in the minister’s office,” Gandhi alleged.

Gandhi began his speech by recounting a conversation he claimed to have had with a young student to illustrate what he called three categories of people. “I asked her, ‘What does it mean to be a student?’ She said, ‘A student is someone who has an open mind, someone who accepts that they don’t know everything.’ Then she said there is another group of people who are convinced they know everything, believe they are God and are arrogant.”

He then said he asked her about a third category — “andhbhakts” — and claimed she responded that an andhbhakt is someone “convinced another person is God”.

“So there are three categories… I found this to be a nice framework,” Gandhi said, as BJP MPs protested loudly.

Rijiju objected to the remarks, saying Gandhi was using an objectionable expression in the House through the anecdote.

“Through a student, he is using an objectionable word. He cannot use it,” the minister said.

Gandhi responded: “But I didn’t use it for you.”

The Lok Sabha reconvened briefly before it was adjourned again till 3 pm.