'Rahul Gandhi Chose Spectacle Instead Of Debate': Dharmendra Pradhan On PM Residence Protest Amid Resignation Demands

After Congress held a fierce sit-in protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence, 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, on Tuesday, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan accused Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi of engaging in spectacle rather than debating the issue inside Parliament.

In his first reaction since the protests started, Pradhan said that Gandhi and Congress chose to protest outside PM Modi's residence, which caused inconvenience to the public and disregarded established security protocols.

Questioning the objective of the protest, Pradhan said, "Even after the Government conveyed its readiness for a comprehensive discussion, the Congress chose political spectacle over democratic debate. Their objective was never solutions for students; it was disruption for political headlines."

He further alleged that for Gandhi the issue was never about students but manufacturing confrontation.

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"This is about manufacturing confrontation after every genuine avenue for discussion has been opened. Our Government remains 100% committed to discussing NEET and addressing every genuine concern of our youth on the floor of the House. 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 added.

Rahul Gandhi, Congress hold sit-in outside PM's residence

Hours after both the Houses of Parliament were adjourned, Congress leaders, including Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, party chief Malikarjun Kharge and others reached outside 7, Lok Kalyan Marg at around 3:30 PM and staged a sit-in.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh was entrusted by the government to hold talks with the protesting leaders, but the move yielded no result, as according to him, Gandhi altered his demands after being assured of a discussion over the paper leak in Parliament. 

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He alleged that Gandhi initially demanded discussion, but when he agreed, he asked for Pradhan's resignation. Terming Gandhi's behaviour undemocratic, Singh added that he claimed it to be his prerogative to change his demands.

What followed next was a high-voltage drama as the Delhi Police forcibly removed the protesting leaders and detained Rahul, Priyanka and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. After hours of detention, the leaders were finally released.