The standoff over students’ protests demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan deepened on Wednesday as the crowd at Jantar Mantar swelled and tension briefly prevailed even as the opposition disrupted Parliament during the day and the government said it was ready for detailed discussions.
Clashes broke out at the protest site
Brought to the Center two days after widespread protests Delhi A clash broke out between a section of the agitators and the police on Wednesday evening, leaving at least five protesters and five security personnel, including an additional police commissioner, injured.ACP)-Rank Officer. For the second time in three days, the internet was shut down between 6 pm and 6 am.
scenes of clashes that continued Sansad Marg Around 8.15 pm, outside the main protest site Jantar Mantar, Hundreds of people were shown on the streets pelting stones and tear gas shells and a large number of police and paramilitary personnel in riot gear were shown lathicharge.
Also read: Sticks, tears, barricades: How police stopped CJP march. ground report
“I have been coming for a week and staying for 6-7 hours. Today some rowdy people got angry after the police tried to push them. Police Tear gas was fired on us and I fell. I somehow managed to get up and everyone was running,” said Shivam Sharma, a student.
Additional DCP (New Delhi) Anand Mishra said that five policemen were injured, including ACP Vivek Bhagat, who was in critical condition after the protesters dragged them and attacked them. Delhi Police told ANI that the situation was “tense for a few minutes”.
Some? Cockroach Janata Party Volunteers could be seen removing stones from the road in coordination with the police and appealing for peace. He also said that those who went unruly were not part of the main protest. A volunteer on top of the bus urged protesters to remain calm and said any violence would “undo 25 days of efforts.” “We are in favor of peace. No one will indulge in throwing stones and plastic bottles,” he said.
Also read: FIR registered for attack on two RAF personnel during CJP protest: Police
Government offers discussion in Parliament
Union Minister JP Nadda He said that the government is ready for a detailed discussion on this issue in Parliament and especially criticized the opposition. Congress For trying to take “political advantage” from the ongoing protests against irregularities in the conduct of examinations.
Pointing out that this is not the time for blame game, Nadda said political parties need to discuss the concerns raised by students.
“…and the best place to do that is Parliament. We want an in-depth discussion to understand the complexities of what the factors are, who is involved and how Central government Have responded,” he said.
He said that the government is ready for discussion and the opposition can decide the duration of the debate. “The BJP and this NDA under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi Very serious about this issue. So we want discussion in Parliament, (whether it is) short term or long term discussion should be decided in the Business Advisory Committee (which allocates time for legislative work),” he said.
Nadda said that it is the responsibility of the government as well as the opposition to find a solution to the problem of paper leak. “We are a responsible government and a responsive government which is ready for discussion,” he said.
Also read: ‘The youngest anti-PM ever’: Rahul Gandhi attacks Narendra Modi in first reaction to CJP march
Opposition demanded Pradhan’s resignation
But Parliament It was canceled for the third consecutive day after the opposition intensified its demand. Primeresignation and even set conditions to allow discussion on the subject.
The Congress president said, “There will be no discussion on this issue until the Education Minister resigns…This cannot be a fair discussion unless he resigns.” Mallikarjun Kharge Said.
Nadda accused the opposition of not following democratic principles.
“The behavior of the Indian coalition is extremely irresponsible. Their undemocratic activities are clearly visible in the Parliament. By tarnishing the dignity of the Parliament, they are weakening the democratic values. Our government is ready to discuss not only every issue but also the paper leak issue.” NEET And all the activities arising from it,” Nadda said.
CJP’s protest gained momentum
Born out of a controversial comment by Chief Justice of India suryakant Earlier this year, CJP He gathered lakhs of followers on social media before starting the dharna on June 6 demanding Pradhan’s resignation over repeated question paper leaks.
After several days of slow mobilization, the movement gained momentum through a hunger strike and forced removal of workers Sonam Wangchuk Last week.
The crowd grew throughout the weekend and by Monday morning, scores of people – many of them students, first-time protestors and young professionals – had braved the persistent monsoon drizzle and heavy police barricades to join the biggest street protest in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term.
At least 70 protesters and 118 security personnel were injured, and 10 first information reports have been filed by the police. At the time of writing, another one was being registered. One protester is in ICU.
Since then, opposition parties have rallied behind the protesters, whose numbers have been increasing and have continued their round-the-clock agitation at Jantar Mantar. The government has met Wangchuk once and CJP members once. Nadda refused to meet CJP members again on Wednesday
“This morning, the police again reached out to us and informed us that Union Minister JP Nadda wanted to talk to us. He invited us to his residence, but we categorically refused. We are not going to anyone’s house or office.’Public court‘It is being organized here, and if the minister wants to talk, he should come to the people. The discussion should take place at Jantar Mantar. Also, we are sensible people. If the government is concerned about security at the protest site, then we are ready to meet at a neutral place near Jantar Mantar. We are still waiting to hear back from them,” CJP spokesperson. Saurav Das Said.
Rahul Gandhi joined
congress leader Rahul Gandhi – who staged a surprise protest outside Modi’s residence on Tuesday before being arrested by Delhi Police – held a press conference, where he accused the government of destroying the country’s education system.
The Congress leader said three demands – Pradhan’s resignation, action against those who attacked the students and an apology from the Prime Minister – cannot be compromised.
He said, “It is clear to everyone that our education system, which was supposed to be one of the best education systems in the world, is today rigged… We know that 152 papers have been leaked in the last decade.”
Also read: Rahul Gandhi places ‘negotiable’ demands from PM Modi, Dharmendra Pradhan on NEET protest
Hours later, Nadda hit back.
“It is not good to score points by politicizing the issues raised by students. Rahul Gandhi talked about about 150 cases of paper leaks… We are a responsible government and we will respond,” he said, listing incidents of paper leaks including in opposition-ruled states. Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Himachal PradeshTelangana, Punjab, west bengal Karnataka (during Trinamool Congress rule), Kerala and Tamil Nadu (during the rule of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam).
He said, “Why is Rahul Gandhi so selective? Why did he not speak about the governments that are part of the INDI alliance. This clearly shows that your motive is definitely not the interest of the students, you are not interested in improving the quality of education or getting justice for the students. You are trying to take political advantage of this.”
On Monday, Nadda met two representatives of CJP. He along with his cabinet colleague Jitendra Singh had gone to meet Wangchuk on Tuesday night.
The minister said, “We requested them to break their fast, join the mainstream and guide the children in the right direction. Our government is open to discussion on all issues and is always ready to address them…Today, they wrote an open letter to me. We will respond to that letter and after responding, we will ensure that the dialogue moves forward.”
