Opposition politics took center stage in the capital on Tuesday as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi led an unprecedented protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence and a series of leaders visited Jantar Mantar to support agitating students, raising the political temperature a day after massive street protests in Delhi over the exam paper leak.
Gandhi rallied party MPs, two chief ministers and allies, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule, for a surprise protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg.
For nearly three-and-a-half hours, Gandhi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, senior leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and a crowd of 200 people sat in solidarity with the protesting students at Lok Kalyan Marg and Akbar Road crossing, before they were forcibly pulled out by Delhi Police and packed into buses.
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Gandhi was taken to Chhatrasal Stadium in North Delhi and released around 10 pm. Priyanka Gandhi was taken to Mandir Marg police station in central Delhi, where former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi reached late in the evening. He was released at 9.45 pm.
The government sent Union Minister Jitendra Singh and Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan to talk to Gandhi but were unsuccessful. Singh later alleged that the Center accepted Gandhi’s first demand for a parliamentary discussion on NEET, but the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha went back on his word and refused to vacate the high security zone.
Opposition rallied behind students
About 6 km away, Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and student protesters resumed their agitation demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, as hundreds of people gathered at the site. On Monday, a 23-day hunger strike at Jantar Mantar turned into the biggest public protest in Modi’s third term as thousands of people marched to Parliament, facing police batons, tear gas and multiple barricades.
NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar, Aam Aadmi Party Chief Arvind Kejriwal and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray met students at Jantar Mantar.
Earlier in the day, both Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Gandhi visited the hospital to meet the injured students.
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Protest outside PM residence
The dramatic protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence began just after 3 pm.
“The attack on students is an attack on every Indian family. Prime Minister Modi thinks he can get away without responding, without facing any consequences – he will not be able to do that, not at all this time… I ask every patriotic Indian who believes that our students deserve justice – join us in the protest in front of the Prime Minister’s residence. The voice of India’s students will not be ignored,” Gandhi said.
As soon as the police raided the spot around 4.30 pm, Gandhi was seen on the ground and was resisting when the personnel tried to lift him up. “Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi has been forcibly removed. What kind of democracy is this?” Kharge said on X.
This is the first time that an opposition leader, who has the status of a cabinet minister, sat on a dharna near the PM residence.
People aware of the details said the government was ready for talks with the students and CJP representatives, but refused to give assurances on meeting their demands nor set any timeline for the next round of meetings.
Government response
Singh and Pradhan condemned Gandhi’s movement.
“Some time ago, it came to light that the National President of the Congress Party, Mallikarjun Kharge and other senior leaders along with him, such as Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and others, suddenly sat on a dharna with their supporters at a place near Akbar Road. Keeping in mind the dignity of this senior delegation, the government sent me personally to the spot along with Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan to interact with these senior leaders. Rahul Gandhi was requested to end his dharna. Do it, because this is a venue not for protest, and holding a protest here is causing a lot of inconvenience to the general public,” Singh wrote on Twitter.
He said Gandhi asked for discussion in Parliament on NEET issues and student agitation before ending his protest. Singh said, “Within a few moments, after taking permission from the top leadership of the government, Rahul Gandhi was assured that his demand has been accepted… When this information was given to Rahul Gandhi, he said that he alone would not agree to it, but also sought assurance of the resignation of the Union Education Minister.”
The minister said that when Gandhi was reminded that earlier he had only demanded discussion, he said his demands had changed. “When he tried to explain politely that it does not suit him for a senior leader like him to go back on his words so quickly, he said that it was his prerogative. When the Home Secretary tried to explain that this place was not suitable for holding a dharna, his response was that it is also his prerogative to sit wherever he wants…For a senior leader like Rahul Gandhi and the Leader of the Opposition to go back on his words is unfortunate and contrary to every norm of democracy. Government in Parliament “Ready for discussion.” All issues related to NEET and related agitation,” Singh said.
Pradhan accused Gandhi of using students as a political tool to disrupt the monsoon session. “For Rahul Gandhi, this is not about students. This is about creating confrontation after every genuine avenue has been opened for discussion. Our government is 100% committed to discussing NEET and addressing every genuine concern of our youth on the floor of the House. The students of India deserve much better than being treated as props in a political campaign,” he posted on Twitter.
During the police action that followed, Gandhi could be seen lying on the road and refusing to move. Rajya Sabha MP Renuka Chaudhary sat on the steps of the bus, stopping the police. Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan and Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar also joined the protest.
Earlier in the day, Kharge told HT that, “The opposition had proposed to both Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan to hold a debate on it.” NEET And other exams paper leak and brutal action on students in Delhi on Monday. The government did not listen to us. We will continue the protest.” Kharge also met Yadav. The latter supported the protest.
Jantar Mantar protest got support
Parliament was disrupted for the second consecutive day as opposition leaders tried to raise the issue of paper leaks and other irregularities. The students who are continuing their protest at Jantar Mantar have received support from many opposition parties. “The treatment meted out to the students who were fighting for their just demands yesterday is unworthy of democratic values,” Pawar said.
but also Jantar Mantar It included Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs Sanjay Raut and Arvind Sawant, Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Majhi, AAP leader Gopal Rai, Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani and a delegation of Left parties.
Kejriwal said, “Modi government attacked these children very brutally. These children were unarmed; they had no weapons, no sticks, nothing…Modi ji has attacked these children very brutally.”
His party colleagues attacked Gandhi. Party MP Sanjay Singh posted on Twitter, “To weaken CJP’s dharna, Modi ji has made Rahul Gandhi sit on dharna at his residence.”
BJP’s attack on Congress’s protest
The government criticized Congress for protesting outside the PM residence and claimed it was a breach of security. BJP president Nitin Nabin said, “The conduct displayed today by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi is completely indecent and condemnable.” But opposition leaders said that such protests are common.
In 2011, supporters of the anti-corruption campaign led by Anna Hazare demonstrated peacefully outside the residence of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. More than 400 protesters were detained and later released.
In 2013, around 200 members of the BJP’s youth wing were detained outside PM Singh’s residence after they demanded the resignation of two Union ministers after he accused them of inappropriate behaviour. Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) workers were led by then BJYM chief Anurag Thakur and then BJP Delhi unit chief Vijay Goel.
Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal also attacked the government. “The government showed its brutality yesterday. Today, they have repeated this brutality…they are completely un-democratic.”
How did the movement gain momentum?
Born out of a controversial comment by the Chief Justice of India suryakant Earlier this year, the CJP garnered lakhs of followers on social media for the first time before launching a protest on June 6 demanding Pradhan’s resignation over repeated question paper leaks. After several days of slow mobilization, the movement gained momentum following a hunger strike and the forced removal of activist Sonam Wangchuk last week.
The crowd grew throughout the weekend and by Monday morning, a large number of people – many of them students, first-time protestors and young professionals – joined in, defying the persistent monsoon drizzle and heavy police barricades, in what became the largest street protest in the capital in years.
