The recent protest organised by Congress leaders, including party President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, took place at Lok Kalyan Marg in New Delhi on July 21. The gathering aimed to demand the resignations of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The demonstration followed the adjournment of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha earlier in the day, amidst calls from the opposition for discussion regarding the NEET-UG paper leak and various education sector issues.

Alongside Kharge and Gandhi, other notable Congress figures, such as Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, KC Venugopal, and Pawan Khera, participated in the protest. It marked a significant moment as the Congress Members of Parliament voiced their concerns over the treatment of protestors in recent days, specifically addressing incidents of “lathi-charge” that took place earlier in the week.

March Towards Prime Minister’s Residence

As part of the protest activities, Congress MPs staged a foot march towards the Prime Minister’s residence, further emphasising their demands. Rahul Gandhi took to social media platform X, asserting that their march aimed to “demand answers from him for the brutalities against young students.” He labelled the government’s response to student concerns as one lacking accountability and called for both the Prime Minister and Home Minister to resign for jeopardising the future of India’s youth.

During the protests, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and KC Venugopal also visited the RML Hospital to meet with student protestors injured in the police crackdown. The Congress party articulated the view that Prime Minister Modi should apologise for what they referred to as “brutality” against young demonstrators. The demands from these students were made clear: accountability from the government regarding the alleged NEET paper leak and the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan.

In the midst of the protests, Union Health Minister JP Nadda made an appearance at the hospital where he met with the injured students as well. His visit was part of ongoing discussions regarding the protests, highlighting the central administration’s efforts to address the concerns raised by the students and protestors.

Government’s Response to Student Protests

On July 20, during a meeting with a delegation from the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), Nadda addressed three specific demands from the group. He subsequently encouraged protestors to consider ceasing their sit-in. His remarks on the social media platform X indicated that by the morning of the protest, a willingness to engage in dialogue had emerged from the demonstrators.

Nadda noted that discussions commenced around 11:50 am, during which a cordial atmosphere facilitated a detailed exchange of views. By approximately 4 pm, a written petition was submitted to him, requesting that protestors conclude their demonstration and allow normalcy to resume in the area.

Later, Saurav Das, the chief spokesperson for CJP, outlined the group’s three key demands presented to Nadda. These included the call for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and a compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of the NEET aspirants, highlighting a grave concern for the reported loss of over 20 lives associated with the exam-related stress and issues.

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