New Delhi: Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, staged a high-profile demonstration outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in New Delhi on Tuesday. The sit-in was organized in direct response to the forceful police action against student demonstrators during the Cockroach Janta Party’s massive ‘Sansad Chalo’ march the previous day. Assembling initially at 10, Rajaji Marg, Congress parliamentarians and party workers executed a short march toward the Prime Minister’s official residence to register their strong protest against the administration’s handling of youth-led demonstrations over the NEET-UG paper leak controversy.
During the tense demonstration along Lok Kalyan Marg, Rahul Gandhi escalated political pressure by demanding the immediate resignations of both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Aligning with the core demands put forward by protesting student groups, the Congress leadership also reiterated its call for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to step down from office over the recurring examination irregularities. Writing on social media platform X, Gandhi accused the central government of evading parliamentary debate on the issue and resorting to lathi charges and tear gas to suppress legitimate questions regarding the nation’s education system. He urged the Prime Minister to break his silence and issue an unconditional apology to the country’s youth for the violence deployed by security personnel.
The standoff outside the Prime Minister’s residence featured a brief moment of cross-party engagement when Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh arrived at the location and spoke directly with Rahul Gandhi amidst heavy police deployment. Congress party representatives reaffirmed that the opposition coalition would continue to champion student rights both on the streets and within Parliament during the ongoing Monsoon Session. Senior party leaders criticized the Centre for treating student activists like criminals, arguing that democratic institutions must protect young citizens demanding a fair and transparent examination framework rather than using administrative force to quiet public concern.
The agitation comes in the wake of Monday’s intense street clashes in central Delhi, where law enforcement agencies deployed barricades, lathi charges, and tear gas shells to prevent thousands of demonstrators from marching toward Parliament House. While police officials maintained that strict security measures were necessary to manage unruly crowds and uphold public order under municipal restrictions, student leaders and civil rights observers reported numerous injuries among peaceful marchers. With key opposition figures joining the street protests, the confrontation between student organizations and the federal government continues to intensify across the national capital.
