Rahul Gandhi wanted political headlines, not solutions for students: Dharmendra Pradhan

Dharmendra Pradhan's remarks came hours after Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, staged a protest outside the Prime Minister's residence over the police action against students protesting the NEET paper leak.

In Short

• Pradhan claims government is ready for parliamentary discussion
• Govt is committed to addressing student concerns, says Pradhan
• Congress protests outside PM's residence

In his first reaction since the police crackdown on Cockroach Janta Party's protesters during the 'Chalo Sansad' march, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday accused Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and the Congress of using students as a political tool.

Pradhan alleged that the Congress was attempting to create disruption during the Monsoon Session of Parliament instead of working towards resolving concerns linked to the NEET paper leak controversy.

In a post on X, the Union minister claimed that Rahul Gandhi and the Congress had staged a protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence despite the government conveying its willingness to hold a detailed discussion on the NEET issue in Parliament.

"LoP Shri Rahul Gandhi and INC continue to shamelessly exploit students as political tools to manufacture disruption during the Monsoon Session of Parliament," Pradhan said.

Pradhan's remarks came hours after Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, staged a protest outside the Prime Minister's residence over the alleged police action against students during the CJP's protest on July 20. The demonstration ended with several Opposition leaders being detained by Delhi Police before they were later released.

'POLITICAL SPECTACLE OVER DEBATE'

Pradhan claimed that even after the government conveyed its readiness to discuss the NEET issue, the Congress chose "political spectacle over democratic debate".

"Their objective was never solutions for students, it was a disruption to make political headlines," Pradhan said, alleging that Rahul Gandhi was attempting to manufacture confrontation despite the government opening avenues for dialogue.

Reiterating the Centre's position, Pradhan said the government remained committed to discussing the NEET issue in Parliament and addressing genuine concerns of students.

"The students of India deserve far better than being treated as props in a political campaign. They deserve certainty over chaos, solutions over slogans and responsibility over disruption," he said.

The minister added that the government owed students "answers, reforms and accountability" and remained committed to strengthening the examination system.

GOVT RAISES SECURITY CONCERNS OVER PROTESTS

Meanwhile, government sources strongly criticised the Congress protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official residence, calling it a security concern and accusing the Opposition of setting a "wrong and dangerous precedent".

The sources said protests targeting residences of political leaders were not a feature of "mature democracies" and could pose risks to security arrangements.

"Congress has set a very wrong and dangerous precedent by protesting outside the PM's residence. It is not only a security threat, but such behaviour is not seen in mature democracies," government sources said.

They also cautioned against demonstrations being directed at the residences of political leaders and referred to recent instances of political unrest in neighbouring countries where protests escalated around official residences.

RAHUL, PRIYANKA DETAINED

The government’s reaction came after Rahul, Priyanka and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and several other Opposition leaders marched towards Lok Kalyan Marg to protest against the police action during the CJP protest on July 20.

Several other Congress MPs and top leaders, including Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan, also joined the protest.

Delhi Police detained the leaders after they attempted to move towards the Prime Minister's residence. Visuals showed security personnel carrying Rahul away after he resisted detention during the sit-in.

Priyanka was also seen holding onto the door of a police bus as she was being taken away. Hours later, the Gandhi siblings as well as Yadav were released by the police.

"If the Leader of the Opposition wishes to speak in Parliament, he is not allowed to do so. If we seek permission to stage a protest, that permission is denied. So we went to a place where they least expected us," she said after being released from detention.

CJP'S 'CHALO SANSAD' MARCH

The face-off between the Congress-led Opposition and the government on Tuesday can be traced back to the violence that broke out during the CJP's 'Chalo Sansad' march a day earlier.

The two-month-old party had organised the march on the opening day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament to protest alleged irregularities in examinations like NEET, and demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Pradhan.

However, the march towards Parliament descended into chaos, with police using tear gas and batons to disperse protesters. The clashes left police buses with smashed windows, damaged public property and more than 70 people detained.

Over 100 Delhi Police and paramilitary personnel, including more than five IPS officers, were injured during the violence, according to officials. The confrontation left behind scenes of destruction and cast a shadow over proceedings on the first day of the Monsoon Session.

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