‘My demands have changed’: Rahul Gandhi as Centre accuses him of shifting stand in NEET row
New Delhi: Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, along with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and other senior party leaders, marched towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence at Lok Kalyan Marg to protest against the alleged police action during the CJP-led student protest in Delhi.
The Congress leaders raised slogans against the BJP government and demanded answers over the NEET paper leak allegations and the handling of student protests.
Rahul Gandhi called on people to join the demonstration, saying: "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."
He added: "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."
Rahul demands Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation
During the protest, Rahul Gandhi met Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh, who arrived along with Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan to hold discussions.
According to Jitendra Singh, Rahul initially demanded a discussion on NEET-related issues in Parliament. The minister claimed that after the government agreed to the discussion, Rahul added another demand — the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Singh said: "When this information was conveyed to Shri Rahul Gandhi, he said that he would not agree to this alone but also sought assurance on the resignation of the Union education minister."
He further claimed Rahul responded: "Now my demands have changed."
The minister accused Rahul of changing his position during negotiations and said the move was not in line with democratic principles.
Congress says students need justice
The Congress continued to demand accountability from the government, saying that students affected by examination irregularities deserve answers.
In a statement, the party said: "The students' demand is absolutely clear -- the government should take responsibility for the paper leak and Dharmendra Pradhan should resign."
Rahul Gandhi also criticised the government's response to the protests, alleging that it was avoiding accountability and refusing to address the concerns of students.
He said: "We have marched to PM Modi’s house to demand answers from him for the brutalities against young students yesterday."
He added: "The government doesn’t want to take any accountability or does it want to have a debate on it in Parliament."
Congress leaders detained during protest
Several Congress leaders and workers were detained by Delhi Police during the demonstration. Those detained included former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, MP K Suresh and Kanhaiya Kumar.
Channi criticised the police action, saying: "This is BJP's terrorism. They don't listen to the students."
Congress MP D K Suresh also alleged that party workers were being forcibly detained while protesting against the police action during the earlier student demonstration.
Rahul meets injured students
Before the protest, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi met students who were admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital after being injured during clashes between protesters and police at the CJP-led march.
The Congress alleged that students were subjected to police brutality and demanded an apology from the government.
The latest political confrontation comes after clashes broke out in Delhi during the CJP's march from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament, where protesters were demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged NEET examination irregularities.