Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 21: In a calculated move to enforce a double-pronged attack on the BJP-led NDA government to build up pressure for the union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, the Congress on Tuesday opened a second front launching a protest dharna near the residence of the residence of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in support of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) agitation at Jantar Mantar.
A day after the Delhi police and the Rapid Action Force attempted to disrupt CJP-led protest march to Parliament House, the Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge, and leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi and joined by some of the Congress chief ministers led a protest to Mr Modi’s residence in New Delhi and launched a sit-in dharna. Sources suggest that Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, will continue the protest overnight.
Gandhi has also made an appeal to his supporters to join his protest outside the PM’s residence in large numbers. “An attack on students is an attack on every Indian family. PM Modi believes he can get away without answers, without consequences. He cannot. Not this time. I ask every patriotic Indian who believes our students deserve justice – join us in dharna in front of the Prime Minister’s residence. The voice of India’s students will not be ignored,” he said in a post.
He said the Congress had marched to the Prime Minister’s residence to seek answers over what he described as the police’s “brutalities” against students and protesters. He accused the government of refusing to take responsibility for the incident or allow a discussion on the issue in Parliament, and reiterated his demand that the Prime Minister and the Home Minister resign.
Congress workers led by the party president and the Gandhi siblings gathered outside Kharge’s house at 10, Rajaji Marg on Tuesday afternoon and marched to the PM’s residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, just over a kilometre away. The Union Minister Jitendra Singh and the union home secretary later visited the protest site and spoke to Rahul Gandhi requesting him to withdraw the dharna.
Singh reportedly offered to discuss the issue in Parliament in exchange of the Congress calling off its agitation. However, Rahul Gandhi refused the proposal and reiterated its stance of strict action at the government level and resignations of PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, besides the sacking of Pradhan. Delhi Police has also appealed to the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha to continue their protest at Jantar Mantar, where CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke is already on a protest along with thousands of supporters and youths.
The Congress leaders, however, declined saying that the talks between Gandhi and Singh were inconclusive. “They wanted us to withdraw the protest and we did not agree because our demands were not met. We want Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign and a discussion in Parliament on the paper leaks. More MPs, more Congress workers and more common people will join our protest,” said Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain.
The CJP march to Parliament on Monday saw protesters, mostly students and young people, being lathi-charged and tear-gassed by the police as well as the Rapid Action Force. The CJP, which is seeking Pradhan’s resignation over NEET and other paper leaks, said several people were injured and left bleeding after the action by the security forces.
Taking to X on Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi, said the Congress protest was aimed at seeking accountability from the government for the “brutality” against the protesters. Going a step further from the CJP, he demanded the resignations of PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
“We have marched to PM Modi’s house to demand answers from him for the brutalities against young students yesterday. The Government doesn’t want to take any accountability or (sic) does it want to have a debate on it in Parliament. PM and HM must resign for destroying the future of India’s youth,” he wrote.
The Delhi Police, which appeared to be caught off-guard by the Congress demonstration, rushed additional contingents to the PM’s residence and began detaining protesters. The BJP accused the Congress of putting the PM’s security at risk, but Congress leaders at the spot insisted that the protest was being held peacefully. “The Prime Minister is not in Parliament. He left Parliament in a very short time yesterday as well. Where do we go to be heard? The protest is being held peacefully,” said Congress MP Manickam Tagore.
Jitendra Singh, who is the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, visited the site about an hour after the protest began and was seen speaking to Rahul Gandhi. The two leaders spoke for several minutes and their conversation was recorded by a person present at the protest.
The Parliament has been adjourned early on both days without transacting any business since the Monsoon Session began on Monday. The Congress tried to raise the issue of the paper leaks and the protest led by the CJP on both days and claimed its leaders were not allowed to speak.
“Today, we wanted to raise the issue of the students who were assaulted. They were lathi-charged, tear gas was used against them, they were beaten up, and many of them are now in hospitals. We wanted to raise our voice in Parliament against this injustice, these atrocities, and the pressure being created on them. We had sought time to speak, and when we stood up, after uttering just one word, the microphone was switched off. This is democracy? If, in a democracy, you do not want a debate and do not want to listen to the Opposition, then where should we go?” Kharge, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said outside Parliament before the protest.
CJP representatives held two meetings with JP Nadda on Monday and the Health Minister also visited Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital and Lady Harding Hospital on Tuesday to meet protesters injured in Monday’s march. The government has maintained it is willing to engage with the protesters and listen to their demands, but will not tolerate violence.
