Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, along with party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, led a protest march towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence in New Delhi on Tuesday, demanding accountability over the alleged NEET paper leak and the police action against student protesters. Congress workers gathered at Kharge’s residence before marching towards Lok Kalyan Marg, where several leaders and supporters were detained by the Delhi Police. Rahul Gandhi appealed to citizens to join the protest, stating that attacks on students were attacks on every Indian family and insisting that the government must answer the concerns of the country’s youth.
The protest came a day after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led march to Parliament, during which clashes broke out between protesters and police. Congress has demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and a detailed discussion on the paper leak issue in Parliament. Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh visited the protest site and held talks with Rahul Gandhi in an attempt to resolve the standoff. However, Congress leaders said the discussions remained inconclusive, maintaining that the protest would continue until their demands were addressed. Jitendra Singh later claimed Rahul Gandhi added fresh demands, including the Education Minister’s resignation, after initially seeking only a parliamentary debate.
As political tensions intensified, opposition leaders including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule joined the demonstration, while the BJP accused the Congress of compromising the Prime Minister’s security. Delhi Police defended its actions, alleging that protesters had turned violent during Monday’s demonstrations, resulting in injuries to more than 100 police personnel. Congress rejected those claims, accusing the government of suppressing student voices and refusing to allow a discussion in Parliament. The government has maintained that it is ready to discuss the NEET paper leak and has already taken action against those responsible, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated that preventing examination leaks is a national responsibility.
