New Delhi: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday led a protest near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence, demanding his resignation over the alleged police action against students who had been protesting peacefully.
They were joined by several party MPs and leaders, including Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who participated in the dharna.
In a social media post, Rahul Gandhi said that an attack on students was an attack on every Indian family.
“PM Modi believes he can get away without answers, without consequences. He cannot. Not this time,” Gandhi wrote, urging citizens who believed students deserved justice to join the protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence.
He asserted that the voices of India’s students would not be ignored and demanded the resignation of both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
“The Prime Minister and the Home Minister must resign for destroying the future of India’s youth,” Gandhi said.
Accusing the Centre of suppressing the voices of protesting students, he demanded an apology from the Prime Minister for the police action and held him and HM Shah responsible for the alleged crackdown.
Earlier in the day, addressing reporters in the Parliament House complex, Gandhi claimed that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had informed Opposition leaders that he would need the government’s approval before allowing a discussion in the House on the students’ issue.
“We went to the Speaker and said we wanted a discussion on the students’ issue. He told us that for a discussion, he has to ask the government. The Speaker is telling us that to debate in Parliament, he has to take permission from the government,” Gandhi said.
Describing the police action against students as “completely un-Indian”, Gandhi said the issue concerned the future of the country’s youth and criticised the Prime Minister for remaining silent.
“Modi ji has not even apologised for what happened yesterday. Students are protesting over the education and examination system. The entire country knows that the education system and testing system are broken. The testing system has been hollowed out by termites,” he said.
Stating that the Congress had repeatedly raised concerns over alleged irregularities in examinations, Gandhi questioned why the Prime Minister had not responded to the students’ grievances.
“The Prime Minister should apologise to the students and stop this nonsense of police thrashing students,” he said.
Responding to a question on Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju’s claim that the Prime Minister had expressed concern for students during the NDA meeting, Gandhi said the real issue was the treatment meted out to young people.
He argued that the problem extended beyond examinations and reflected a broader lack of opportunities for the youth.
“The youth of this country do not have opportunities. All the doors are closed. The only door that remains open is competitive examinations, and that door too has been destroyed,” he said.
He said the protests reflected widespread frustration among young people who saw little hope for employment or entrepreneurship.
“This is much bigger than simply education. Students are saying they have no future in India and they want a future. Their demand is legitimate,” Gandhi said, adding that the government had failed to address systemic deficiencies in the education and examination systems.
Asked whether the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan would satisfy the Opposition, Gandhi said Pradhan should step down but maintained that responsibility for the police action rested with the Union Home Minister.
Later, Rahul Gandhi, accompanied by Congress General Secretaries K.C. Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, visited Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital to meet students injured in the lathi charge and inquire about their condition.
(IANS)
