Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, issued a major appeal on Tuesday, urging “patriotic Indians” to join his protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official residence in Delhi.
This call came a day after Delhi Police suppressed a student protest march organized by a protest movement to Parliament Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over alleged paper leaks.
“The attack on students is an attack on every Indian family. PM Modi thinks he can escape without giving answers, without facing any consequences – he won’t, not at all this time. I appeal to every patriotic Indian who believes our students should get justice – join our dharna in front of the PM’s residence,” Rahul Gandhi wrote on X.
Party MPs, including president Mallikarjun Kharge and general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and KC Venugopal, were present at the protest, the first time Rahul has led such a demonstration outside the Prime Minister’s House. The party members initially started the protest outside the Chief Minister’s residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, but were later shifted to 10, Rajaji Marg.
Rahul Gandhi decided to move to the Prime Minister’s House because the Lok Sabha Speaker did not give the Opposition a chance to raise the issue in Parliament, a leader told HT.
“He told the MPs, ‘Let’s go and wake up the prime minister about this issue,’” a person familiar with the matter said.
The government proposes discussion
Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), met Rahul Gandhi soon after and said the government was ready to discuss the issue related to the student protests in Parliament on Wednesday, people familiar with the matter told HT.
However, it is learned that the Congress is adamant on its demand for the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Home Minister Amit Shah over police action against protesters during the RJD’s march to Parliament the previous day.
Before commencing the protest, Gandhi, speaking to reporters outside Parliament, accused the Center of using police force to suppress students who raise genuine concerns.
“The whole country knows that the education system and the examination system are broken; it no longer exists. The examination system has been hollowed out by termites. That’s all they say. We have been saying it too. I have been giving presentation after presentation on this subject. Why is the Prime Minister silent?” Gandhi said.
He added: “We went to the Speaker of Parliament and said: Look, we want to discuss the students’ issue, and the Speaker of Parliament told us that to have a discussion, he has to ask the government. Do you understand what this means? The Speaker of Parliament tells us that for the discussion to take place in Parliament, he has to get permission from the government.”
He described the police response as “un-Indian” and said the students deserved better treatment.
“The important point is that this is not the right way to treat the youth in this country. The youth in this country have no opportunities; all the doors are closed; one door is open for competitive exams, which is a door that has also been destroyed. These students here are not only complaining about the education system, but about their future as well,” Gandhi said.
He further alleged that the country’s education system has been taken over by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the parent body of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, and accused the Modi government of favoring industrialists over students.
“This is much bigger than education. This is India’s students saying they have no future in India. This is legitimate. Dharmendra Pradhan, Home Minister and Prime Minister, should resign,” he said.
After addressing the media, Gandhi, accompanied by Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, visited Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital to meet protesters injured during Monday’s clashes and later went to protest at Lok Kalyan Marg (formerly known as Race Road).
CJP leaders meet JP Nadda
Meanwhile, RJD representatives Sourav Das and Ashutosh Ranka met Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Monday to submit the organization’s demands in writing after the protest.
Protest infrastructure at Jantar Mantar was dismantled after the clashes, while prohibitory orders under Section 163 remained in place in parts of central Delhi, restricting gatherings of five or more people.
However, CJP founder Abhijit Debke continued his sit-in at Jantar Mantar, reiterating that the agitation would continue till Pradhan’s resignation.
Climate activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk has been on hunger strike at Safdarjung Hospital, where he was admitted after being detained by Delhi Police on July 18.
According to the hospital’s latest health bulletin, Wangchuk’s serum potassium level was 3.2 mEq/L in the sample collected Monday night. He is receiving oral rehydration solution (ORS) and oral potassium supplements, but continues to refuse intravenous fluids and glucose.
