In a dra matic and unprecedented turn of events, opposition leaders, including Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Con gress leader Priyanka Gan dhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, were forcibly re moved by police on Tues day after staging a dharna outside Prime Minister Modi’s residence here, de manding his resignation. The surprise sit-in in the high-security zone sent the government into a tizzy, prompting it to rush Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Of fice Jitendra Singh, along with Union Home Sec retary Govind Mohan, to persuade the opposi tion leaders to vacate the sensitive site. Gandhi’s discussion with the minister lasted a few minutes, after which Singh and the home sec retary left as the talks re mained inconclusive. Soon after Singh left the protest site, police forci bly removed and detained Gandhi and other leaders in the evening. Congress leaders said Gandhi was taken to Chhatrasal Stadi um in Model Town follow ing his detention. As police swooped down on the site, Gandhi, was seen lying on the ground and resisting as security personnel tried to lift him up. The Congress leader was injured in the process and was seen bleeding from his nose. “Democracy in India is happening right now,” Gandhi told reporters even as the police tried to remove him from the site.
An aide of the former Congress chief told PTI that Gandhi suffered an injury below the eye, besides minor injuries to his hands and legs. Later, Gandhi shared pictures on X of police removing him from the protest site and said, “Modiji, try every pres sure, exert all your might – this fight for justice for students will not stop now.” There were dramatic scenes as Priyanka Gandhi hung on to the door of a police bus even after it started moving. “Leader of the Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi has been forcibly removed. What kind of democracy is this?” Con gress president Mallikarjun Kharge said in a post on X. He claimed that the “tyrannical” government was “trem bling in fear”. “The second name of dictatorship is Amit-shahi,” Con gress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X. Congress leader Pawan Khera said police had “brutally” taken away his party colleagues, but they would continue demanding the resignation of Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Singh told Gandhi that the Centre was ready to discuss the issue of NEET and other related matters in Parliament and that he should, therefore, end his stir. Gandhi, howev er, remained unrelenting and continued with his protest, while several of his party colleagues raised slogans de manding Modi’s resignation. Singh later accused Gandhi of “backtracking” from his earlier demand for a debate, saying the Congress leader was now demanding Pradhan’s resignation. The minister said this did not befit a leader of Gandhi’s stature. “A senior leader like Rahul Gandhi going back on his word is unfortunate and contrary to every norm of de mocracy,” he said in a post on X. “The government is ready to discuss in Parliament all issues related to NEET and the associated movement…. Ra hul Gandhi’s behaviour does not align with the principles of democracy,” Singh said. Gandhi, along with other Congress leaders, including the chief ministers of Karnataka and Kerala and several MPs, launched the sit-in around 3.30 pm against Monday’s po lice action on protesting students.
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The unprecedented scenes unfolded soon after Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi met injured students at a hospital here. Rahul Gandhi, along with Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi, Kar nataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan, raised slogans against Modi. Yadav and NCP-SP leader Supriya Sule joined them later. The protesting leaders symbolically tied their hands while agitating against alleged restrictions on people’s freedom imposed by the BJP-led Centre. Gandhi earlier said an attack on students was an attack on every Indian family. “PM Modi believes he can get away without answers, without consequences. He cannot. Not this time,” he said in a post on X. Some of the MPs also accused the Delhi Police of using force against them to remove them from the protest site. Among them were former Punjab chief minister Charan jit Singh Channi, Congress chief whip in the Lok Sabha K Suresh and MP Sukhjinder Randhawa, who were whisked away by police. Kharge also left the site after a couple of hours.
The Congress president later said the arrogant rulers would have to bow down before the resounding voice of students. “Modi-Shah will have to take responsibility for the lathicharge and use of force,” Kharge said. “When students took to the streets demanding justice, they unleashed lathicharge and rained down blows on them! “They locked the gates of Parliament, imprisoned the MPs, refused to heed the united opposition’s call for a debate, did not dismiss Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Modiji remained silent on the atrocities against students, the Home Minister, who controls the Delhi Police, issued no statement despite our demands,” Kharge said in a post on X, adding that when they staged the sit-in, MPs were dragged away by force.
