Dramatic scenes as Rahul Gandhi-led protest outside PM residence broken up by cops
The political battle over the NEET paper leak and the alleged police crackdown on students escalated dramatically on Tuesday, with the Congress taking its protest
The political battle over the NEET paper leak and the alleged police crackdown on students escalated dramatically on Tuesday, with the Congress taking its protest to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence, triggering high-level negotiations, police action against Opposition leaders and a fresh war of words between the Centre and Rahul Gandhi. The day also saw Parliament remain paralysed over the issue, the government defend its handling of the crisis, and the wider agitation led by the CJP and activist Sonam Wangchuk gather further momentum. The Centre insisted it was willing to discuss the issue in Parliament, while the Congress accused the government of evading accountability for the alleged police action against students. Read Full Story Congress takes protest to PM's residence: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several senior leaders marched to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence, demanding accountability for the alleged police action against students during Monday's CJP protest. The party also sought Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the NEET paper leak and other examination irregularities. Jitendra Singh leads government's outreach: As the protest intensified, the Centre deputed Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh and Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan to hold talks with Rahul Gandhi.
The government urged the Congress to withdraw its dharna, arguing that the protest site near the Prime Minister's residence was unsuitable for demonstrations and was disrupting public movement. Jitendra Singh accuses Rahul Gandhi of changing demands: After the meeting, Jitendra Singh alleged Rahul Gandhi had initially agreed to end the protest if the government accepted a parliamentary discussion on NEET and the student agitation. According to Singh, the Centre accepted the demand within minutes, but Rahul Gandhi later insisted on the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan before withdrawing the protest. Congress leaders rejected the government's account, saying the talks remained inconclusive because their demands had not been met. Gandhi is yet to respond to Singh's allegations. Police remove and detain Opposition leaders: Soon after Jitendra Singh's statement, Delhi Police moved in to disperse the protest. Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav were removed from the protest site, while Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav were detained. Police also detained several senior Congress leaders, including Charanjit Singh Channi, K Suresh and Kanhaiya Kumar, as they cleared the area. Rahul Gandhi sharpens attack on Centre: Before being removed from the protest site, Rahul Gandhi appealed to citizens to join the dharna, calling the alleged police action "an attack on every Indian family".
The BriefWire