Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday claimed that Delhi Police personnel, who “dragged” him away from the Opposition’s protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence, asked him to “remove this government.”
Event Context
Match Outlook
The July 20 protest, launched by the Cockroach Janta Party over the NEET paper leak, gathered momentum after activist Sonam Wangchuk began an indefinite hunger strike. The movement grew after Wangchuk was removed from Jantar Mantar and hospitalised by the police. The activist, later in a handwritten note, called it an “illegal detention.”
Cops also cracked down on a student march to Parliament on Monday. The Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel used lathis, tear gas and electric batons to disperse the crowd, HT reported earlier. Several students and security personnel were injured. They also alleged some protesters targeted media and security personnel during the march.
“It is a legitimate demand that Dharmendra Pradhan should resign. He has shown the nation and the world that he can’t run an education system. He is also incompetent and probably collusive in this drama… This man has to go,” Rahul Gandhi said.
He also demanded that police who lathi-charged at student protesters be held accountable. These were “non-negotiable” steps towards resolving the crisis, he said.
“Everyone who assaulted the students must be held accountable and the PM should apologise,” he said.
ALSO READ | ‘Apologise to students’: Rahul Gandhi to PM Modi after lathi-charge during CJP protests, seeks Amit Shah’s resignation
source
At a press conference, Gandhi was asked about his detention on Tuesday, when Opposition leaders staged a sit-in to protest near Lok Kalyan Marg against the police crackdown on student protesters and the NEET paper leaks.
“The police dragged me and took me away, but were whispering in my ear to remove this government,” claimed the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
“One said, ‘I am from Rajasthan, inko hataiye (remove them).’ ‘We are just wearing the uniform.’ Another one was saying, ‘I am from Haryana, inko hataiye.’ So this is the sentiment towards (the government). And people feel the truth,” Gandhi said at the press briefing held at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters.
ALSO READ | Rahul Gandhi sets ‘non-negotiable’ demands for PM Modi, Dharmendra Pradhan over NEET protests
The Congress leader claimed “a couple of punches” was not a problem for him. “I am supposed to bring attention to where pain is being felt. These are very small costs. These are not big costs. This is a huge honour for me to be able to stand with the wishes of my people. So a couple of punches and all, this is not a problem at all. I am happy to take many more,” he added.
“We felt that if the students of India are on the streets, then the Opposition should also be on the streets,” he said. “This is a crime that has been done to the future of our country. This is a crime that has been done to the people we love.”
Gandhi said the Opposition demanded that Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned over the examination irregularities and also asked PM Modi to apologise for the police action on students.
The Congress leader also claimed that since the BJP-led NDA government came to power in 2014, there had been 152 paper leaks affecting nearly 75 million students. “What we do know is that 152 paper leaks have taken place over the last decade. If you do the math. So one a month approx,” Gandhi said at the press conference.
Reacting to the allegations, health minister JP Nadda said, “This is a matter of investigation, and the government, being a responsible government, will undoubtedly investigate and present the truth to the public and the nation.” He also claimed that the government was ready for a discussion on the NEET paper leak.
