New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and several opposition Members of Parliament were detained by Delhi Police on Tuesday after staging a protest near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official residence at Lok Kalyan Marg.
The opposition leaders had marched towards the Prime Minister’s residence demanding action over alleged examination paper leaks and condemning the police action against student protesters during a march to Parliament on Monday.
Police intervened as the protest intensified and removed the leaders from the dharna site. Rahul Gandhi, who remained seated on the road in protest, was surrounded by police personnel before being escorted into a police vehicle along with other opposition leaders.
Earlier in the day, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi led a march from Kharge’s residence to the Prime Minister’s residence, escalating the party’s campaign on education-related issues. Before his detention, Rahul Gandhi urged people to join the protest, stating that “an attack on students is an attack on every Indian family,” while accusing the government of failing to address students’ concerns.
In a significant development during the protest, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh met Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders at the protest site. According to Congress leaders, the talks failed to produce a breakthrough as the party reiterated its demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and sought a detailed discussion in Parliament on the alleged examination paper leaks.
Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain said the party would continue its agitation until its demands were fulfilled. However, Jitendra Singh maintained that the government was willing to hold a discussion in Parliament on education-related issues and alleged that the Congress later insisted on the Education Minister’s resignation as a precondition.
The Congress has also demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah either apologise or resign over the police action against protesters during Monday’s student march.
The protest drew support from several opposition leaders, including NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MP Supriya Sule, NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal, reflecting broader opposition unity over the issue.
The developments have further intensified the political confrontation between the opposition and the Centre over examination paper leaks, student protests and the government’s handling of education-related concerns.
