On July 21, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, along with Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, was detained by the Delhi Police while they led a protest near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official residence on Lok Kalyan Marg. The protest focused on demands for accountability regarding the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak and called for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
As police began to detain the protestors, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra remarked, “They are cowards. They are scared. We are not scared of them. They are scared of us.” The confrontation escalated when Rahul Gandhi was forcibly removed from the area and was seen being carried towards a police bus as law enforcement dispersed the protestors, which included several Congress leaders and workers.
Responses From Congress Leaders
Following their detention, Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala spoke to ANI from within a police van, declaring that the protest was a precursor to a more significant movement against the government. He stated, “This is not the end; it marks the beginning of a new revolution under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi,” emphasising that the struggle would continue despite attempts to suppress it.
Surjewala added that the government was accountable to the millions of students affected by the paper leak, asserting that the ongoing movement would intensify. He expressed the belief that their efforts would not be in vain, maintaining that a broader engagement was necessary for justice.
Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar also expressed regret over the detentions. He articulated that their objective was to advocate for the rights of students across the nation, insisting that the issue warranted discussion in Parliament. Shivakumar mentioned that more than one hundred MPs were present to support the cause, reinforcing the idea that the movement would persist until justice was achieved.
