NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence over the police action against student protesters, calling it “un-Indian”.His remarks came a day after a protest led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Monday saw roads blocked with demonstrators in the national capital. Police barricades were broken and protestors faced lathi and tear gas, with both accusing each other of going rogue.Speaking to reporters after meeting Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla along with opposition MPs, Rahul Gandhi said, “Modi ji has not even apologised for what happened yesterday. The youth are protesting against the education and testing system. The whole country knows that the education and testing system is hollowed out by termites.”“Why is the Prime Minister silent? He should apologise to the students and stop this nonsense of thrashing students,” he added. The Congress leader also accused the government of suppressing students’ voices and demanded a discussion in Parliament on the examination crisis.Claiming that the Speaker had expressed his inability to allow an immediate debate, Rahul said, “The Speaker told us that to hold a discussion in Parliament, he needs the government’s permission. What is happening is completely un-Indian. People are being beaten and assaulted.”He said the protests reflected the frustration of young people and called “for the resignation of the home minister, the education minister and the Prime Minister.”“The point is there is no way to treat the young people of this country. The young people of this country do not have opportunities; all the doors are closed; one door is open for competitive exams, which is also destroyed. These students here are complaining not just about the education system but their future,” Rahul said.“They are complaining because of Mr Ambani and Mr Adani, the RSS’s complete takeover of the education system. This is about the future of young people. They watch Ambani’s wedding and Rs 1,000 crores being spent there, while they have no money to open a business of their own. This is much bigger than education. This is students of India saying they have no future in India. This is legitimate. Dharmendra Pradhan, the home minister and the Prime Minister should resign,” he added.This development comes after Rahul Gandhi, along with Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant, RSP MP N K Premachandran and other opposition leaders, met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking a discussion on the police action against students and the alleged examination irregularities.After the meeting, the Congress leader posted on X, “Our demand is simple: Parliament must have a detailed discussion on the brutality unleashed on students yesterday and on the government’s complete lack of accountability for the examination crisis.”“Students were beaten for asking legitimate questions about their own future. If Parliament cannot discuss the future of India’s youth, what is it for?” he asked.“The opposition will not let this be buried. We will ensure that the students’ voice will be heard on the streets, and in Parliament,” he added.Ahead of the day’s proceedings, floor leaders of the INDIA bloc met in the chamber of Rajya Sabha Leader of opposition Mallikarjun Kharge to finalise their strategy for the second day of the Monsoon Session.The meeting was attended by Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and K.C. Venugopal, SP’s Dharmendra Yadav, NCP (SP)’s Supriya Sule, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Raut, JMM’s Mahua Maji, and CPI(M) leaders John Brittas and P. Santhosh Kumar, among others.Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal said the opposition had demanded dedicated time in Parliament to discuss the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, the CBSE examination controversy and the police action against protesters.“Along with LOP Rahul Gandhi ji and other opposition MPs, I met the Hon’ble Lok Sabha Speaker demanding that the LOP and opposition Parties be given dedicated time to raise the issue of the NEET and CBSE fiascos, the Delhi Police’s violence on peaceful youth protesters yesterday, and to demand accountability from the government for these crises. We also demanded that the Education Minister give an explanation for his failures on the floor of the House,” he wrote on X.The opposition’s attack came after Monday’s protests over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak escalated into violent clashes near Parliament.While the CJP accused Delhi Police of using excessive force against protesters, the police alleged that demonstrators turned violent after attempting to breach barricades.According to Delhi Police, 118 police personnel and 60 protesters were injured in the clashes. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke claimed that several student protesters, including minors, were assaulted during the police action and claimed that a girl sustained serious injuries and remains in critical condition at RML hospital.The issue had also disrupted proceedings in both Houses of Parliament on the opening day of the Monsoon Session, with opposition MPs repeatedly demanding discussions on the alleged paper leak and the alleged Ram Temple donation embezzlement case.
