Rahul calls up UP brothers who cracked IIT test, promises help

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi today spoke to two brothers from Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh, who have cracked the IIT entrance test, over the phone and assured them all help.

Raju (18) and Brijesh (19), sons of a daily wager, have cleared the IIT Advanced examinations earlier this week but faced financial odds to pursue their dream.

"Congratulations to all those who cracked the IIT. Spoke to Brijesh & Raju from Pratapgarh on their tremendous success against all odds," Gandhi said on Twitter.

Congress sources said that Gandhi spoke to the brothers in the morning and subsequently directed local party leaders including Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tewari and his daughter and MLA Aradhana to extend all necessary help to them.

In another tweet, the Congress Vice-President said, "Proud of the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas for discovering talent from rural areas and giving them such a wonderful springboard."

Both Raju and Brijesh studied at Navodaya Vidyalaya of Pratapgarh. According to media reports, the father of the two students, Dharamraj Saroj, was in need of Rs 1 lakh to pay for his sons' admission fees.

The sources said that after coming to know of it, Gandhi, who is an MP from nearby Amethi constituency, called up local leaders and then spoke directly to the brothers. After hearing out their problems, he assigned the responsibility to Tewari and his daughter to help them arrange the admission fees.

Congress student wing NSUI may also chip in to assist the students' family in getting the money. The family has to arrange the admission fees by June 25.

According to the family, when the phone rang this morning, the duo expected it to be from another of their relatives or friends but were pleasantly surprised to find Gandhi on the line.

"He congratulated both of us and also asked the local Congress MLA to help us out in our future challenges," Raju, the younger of the two siblings who got 167th rank in the prestigious examination in his first attempt, said.

"Rahulji spoke to both of us separately and congratulated us for the feat," Raju, who aspires to pursue electrical engineering or computer science, said.

Older brother Brijesh, who got 410 rank in his second attempt, also received a call from Bollywood actor Aamir Khan, who asked him to continue his education without any worry.

Help is also coming from private companies and NGOs who have expressed their desire to extend financial support to the duo.

On poor education facilities in their village, Raju said that they would try and teach children to prepare them for getting admission in Navodaya Vidyalayas so that they can get quality education.