NEW DELHI: Several Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, along with the chief ministers of Karnataka and Kerala, marched to the Prime Minister’s residence at Lok Kalyan Marg and staged a protest against the alleged brutality committed against students during the CJP’s protest.Congress MPs and senior leaders raised slogans against PM Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party over the NEET paper leak and demanded the resignation of PM Narendra Modi and education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.‘Join our dharna’In a social media post on X, Rahul called on “patriotic Indians” to join the protest outside the PM’s residence.“An attack on students is an attack on every Indian family. PM Modi believes he can get away without answers, without consequences. He cannot. Not this time,” Rahul said.“I ask every patriotic Indian who believes our students deserve justice – join us in dharna in front of the Prime Minister’s residence. The voice of India’s students will not be ignored,” he added.Union minister Jitendra Singh meets RahulNearly 20 minutes into the protest, minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh met Rahul at the protest site and urged him to end the dharna.Singh was accompanied by Union home secretary Govind Mohan.Union minister claims Rahul changed demands mid-negotiationAfter holding talks with Rahul, Jitendra Singh accused the LoP of backtracking from his earlier demands and refusing to end the dharna.In a social media post on X, Singh said, “Some time ago, it came to light that the Congress Party’s national president, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, and other senior leaders with him, such as Shri Rahul Gandhi, Smt. Priyanka Gandhi, and others, suddenly sat down for a sit-in protest near Akbar Road with their supporters. In view of the dignity of this senior delegation, the government sent me personally, along with the Union home secretary, Shri Govind Mohan, to the spot to hold talks with these senior leaders. A request was made to Shri Rahul Gandhi to end his sit-in, as this site is not meant for protests, and holding a sit-in here is causing considerable inconvenience to the general public.”Also Read| ‘Rahul wanted a confrontation’: Jitendra Singh details fallout of talks with Congress leader“Shri Rahul Gandhi put forward the demand that if the government agreed to discuss in Parliament all issues related to NEET and the associated movement, he would immediately end his sit-in. Within a few moments, after taking permission from the government’s top leadership, Shri Rahul Gandhi was assured that his demand had been accepted, and the government was ready to discuss in Parliament all issues related to NEET and the associated movement,” he added.Singh further said that after the government’s message was conveyed to Rahul, he also sought assurance on the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.“When this information was conveyed to Shri Rahul Gandhi, he said that he would not agree to this alone but also sought assurance on the resignation of the Union education minister. He said that now I have two demands: discussion in Parliament and the resignation of the Union education minister. When he was reminded that earlier he had only demanded discussion, he said that now my demands have changed. When an attempt was made to humbly explain to him that for a senior leader like him to backtrack on his word so quickly does not befit him, he said that it is his prerogative. When the Home secretary tried to explain that this site is not suitable for a sit-in, his response was that it is also his prerogative to sit wherever he wants,” the Union minister said.“For a senior leader like Rahul Gandhi and the leader of the opposition to go back on his word is unfortunate and contrary to every norm of democracy. The government is ready to discuss in Parliament all issues related to NEET and the associated movement. In contrast, the Congress Party has not given any notice to date for a formal discussion on this serious matter as per the rules. Shri Rahul Gandhi’s behavior does not align with the principles of democracy,” he added.Police remove Rahul from protest siteMeanwhile Delhi Police tried to forcibly remove Rahul, Priyanka and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav from the protest site. While being detained by the Delhi Police, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “They are cowards. They are scared. We are not scared of them. They are scared of us.” Additionally, police also detained several senior Congress leaders, including Charanjit Singh Channi, MP K Suresh, and Kanhaiya Kumar.“This is BJP’s terrorism. They don’t listen to the students,” Channi said as he was being taken away by the Delhi Police.Congress MP D K Suresh said that the police were “brutally detaining Congress workers.”“Brutally, they are detaining us. We are protesting in front of the Prime Minister’s residence because our students were brutally attacked yesterday by the Delhi Police. The Prime Minister is not saying anything, the home minister is not making any statement,” he said.‘Modi Ji, try every pressure’After he was detained, Rahul again took to X and said that fight against students will not stoped.“Modi Ji, try every pressure, exert all your might – this fight for justice for students will now not stop or be halted.”Congress alleges Delhi Police won’t disclose where Rahul, Priyanka were takenCongress Rajya Sabha MP Pawan Khera said that the Delhi Police had not disclosed the location where they were taking Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi.“The Delhi Police have detained our leaders — Rahul ji, Priyanka ji and all of us. They are not willing to share the location where they are taking our leaders,” Khera said in a social media post on X.‘Marched to PM Modi’s house to demand answers’In a social media post on X, Rahul said that he marched to PM Modi’s residence to demand answers for the brutalities against students on Monday.“We have marched to PM Modi’s house to demand answers from him for the brutalities against young students yesterday. The government doesn’t want to take any accountability or does it want to have a debate on it in Parliament,” Rahul said.“PM and HM must resign for destroying the future of India’s youth,” he added.‘Wah! kya jugalbandi hai’Meanwhile, former Delhi chief minister Atishi took a jibe at Congress’ protest and said that CJP and Sonam Wangchuk were protesting at Jantar Mantar for the past one month but the government refused to talk to them, but initiated dialogue with Rahul Gandhi within one hour of his protest.“This is amazing! CJP and Sonam Wangchuk: One month protest at Jantar Mantar. Modi govt refuses to talk to them,” Atishi said in a social media post on X.“Rahul Gandhi: Allowed to protest outside PM residence. In one hour Modi Govt starts dialogue. Wah! Kya jugalbandi hai!” she added.Opposition leaders joins protestMeanwhile, opposition leaders, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule, also joined the protest in support of the Congress’ demand for accountability over the alleged police action against students.Several MPs from INDIA bloc parties were also seen at the protest site, with the opposition presenting a united front as it sought to mount pressure on the government over the handling of the students’ agitation and examination irregularities.Rahul, Priyanka meet admitted studentsEarlier in the day, Rahul and Priyanka met students admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital after they were injured in police action during the CJP-led protest.They also met the mother of an injured young woman protester who is on ventilator support at the RML Hospital, news agency PTI reported, citing sources.In a post on X, the Congress said Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, along with General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal, met the students injured during the “police brutality and lathi charge” in Monday’s youth protest.“Today, the future of students in the country is being trampled, and lathis are being rained down on those who raise their voices, for which Narendra Modi should apologise. The students’ demand is absolutely clear — the government should take responsibility for the paper leak and Dharmendra Pradhan should resign,” the party said.This comes a day after violent clashes erupted in Delhi as thousands of protesters from the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and students marched from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament, demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan over recurring examination irregularities, including the NEET-UG paper leaks.
