Congress leader Tharoor addresses Ahmedabad students on freedom of expression

Senior Congress leader and head of parliamentary committee for external affairs Shashi Tharoor addressed students at Ahmedabad’s St Xavier’s College.

Speaking at the Fr Herbert A de Souza Memorial Lecture, Tharoor pushed for universities to be ‘open, inclusive and representative’. He stressed on non-violent freedom of expression and academic freedom.

‘Students cannot be stopped from protesting in universities’

“Today, academic freedom and freedom of expression in university education are under threat. Students in universities cannot be stopped from protesting, but the form of protest should be appropriate and non-violent. Moreover, as the privatisation of universities increases and the number of private universities grows, these institutions must reserve a certain number of seats based on scholarships, keeping poor and middle-class students in mind,” said Tharoor.

The Congress MP also expressed concerns about the safety of university campuses. He pointed out several challenges including the influence of global trends in university education, growing bureaucratic interference and control in higher education, insufficient financial funding for research and innovation, deteriorating academic quality, increasing campus regulations, and rising threats to academic expression.

Tharoor emphasised the need to focus on practical education in universities. He said, “Teachers should focus not on what students think, but on how they should think.” He noted that although private universities are rapidly increasing in the country, very few achieve global rankings or recognition. Therefore, it is vital that these institutions announce scholarships for deserving and financially needy students.

Nehru’s vision and educational efforts

Tharoor also reflected on India’s education system during the time of independence, highlighting the efforts made by the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He said that during that period, India went through five decades of struggle. However, in 2025, Indian youth have far more opportunities, with new technological programs and courses now available in higher education.

Tharoor criticised the country’s rising unemployment, attributing it in part to failures in the university and higher education system. He cited the example of Madhya Pradesh, where for 14,000 constable jobs (requiring only an 8th-grade qualification), 9 lakh candidates applied — including 10,000 engineers, 1.9 lakh graduates, and 15,000 postgraduates. He took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s past remarks on selling snacks as employment by referencing the ‘pakoda-selling’ comment.

Responding to a question about university education, Tharoor stated that beyond classroom teaching, universities must train students to think critically, provide practical knowledge, and align education with the demands of today’s job market.

On the issue of the Hindi language, he remarked that a national language must be one that is acceptable to all.