New Delhi: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan met Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday as protests demanding his resignation gathered momentum on the opening day of Parliament's Monsoon Session.

The meeting came amid a large "Sansad Chalo" march in the national capital, where thousands of students and supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) rallied over alleged irregularities in major entrance examinations.

Police used tear gas to stop protesters attempting to march towards Parliament, while security was tightened across central Delhi. 

The protests have placed renewed focus on allegations of question paper leaks, technical glitches and other irregularities in competitive examinations. Demonstrators are demanding that Pradhan step down, holding the Education Ministry accountable for what they describe as repeated failures in the examination system.

Pradhan's meeting with Amit Shah assumed political importance as it took place against the backdrop of mounting protests and the start of the Monsoon Session. However, there was no official statement indicating that the meeting was related to the ongoing agitation or the demands for the minister's resignation.

Thousands of protesters had gathered at Jantar Mantar despite heavy rain and extensive security arrangements across central Delhi. Police had barricaded several routes leading to Parliament as authorities sought to prevent demonstrators from reaching the high-security zone.

The agitation was not limited to Delhi. Protesters also took to the streets in several cities across Gujarat, including Ahmedabad, Surat, Junagadh and Bhavnagar, expressing solidarity with the CJP's campaign and activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on a hunger strike.

In Ahmedabad, police detained several people after they assembled near Law Garden without permission, officials said. Protesters carried copies of the Constitution, wore T-shirts supporting the CJP and displayed banners backing Wangchuk while raising slogans against the Centre and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

In Surat, demonstrators gathered outside the district collectorate, while similar protests were reported from other cities. One protester, while being detained, questioned why students were being arrested while "those responsible for serious crimes remain free," reflecting the anger among participants over the government's handling of examination controversies.

The protests are expected to add to the political heat during the Monsoon Session, with opposition parties likely to press the government on issues related to exam paper leaks, recruitment tests and the functioning of the education system.