Stepping up his attack on the Centre over Delhi Police's crackdown on Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) agitators earlier this week, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday reiterated that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan must resign from his position over irregularities in the NEET UG examination, while urging the government to accept the demands of students.The Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, who visited the Gandhi Smriti on the Tees January Marg in the national capital, also paid homage to students who died by suicide over NEET paper leak and later sang the national anthem. Rahul also questioned the Delhi Police's crackdown on CJP protesters on Monday during the 'Chalo Sansad' marg and maintained that the opposition stands with agitators.
During his visit to the Gandhi Smriti, Rahul was seen carrying a small copy of the Constitution, while opposition MPs Mahua Majhi and Mahua Moitra were seen holding the national flag. Some of the legislators also switched on torches on their mobile phones.
The police had also put up some barricades on the Sunehri Bagh Road, but they were removed later and the MPs were allowed to go.
"Right now, MPs and leaders of the INDIA alliance are peacefully heading to Gandhi Smriti on Tees January Marg," Rahul said in a post on X before visiting the Gandhi Smriti. "We go to remember the students we lost - the children driven to take their own lives after the NEET paper leak. And we go to stand with the students who lie injured today - beaten for peacefully demanding justice and accountability."
CJP protest continues
The CJP has continued its protest in central Delhi and maintained that their agitation will not end until Pradhan resigns. On its part, the government has reached out to the CJP again and invited them for talks at Union Health Minister JP Nadda's residence or at his office, whichever is convenient.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also assured that all paper leak cases will be fast-tracked and the guilty will be brought to justice. Despite this, the CJP has rejected the offer and said the union ministers must come to the Jantar Mantar or a neutral venue near the protest site if there are security concerns.
As the CJP continues its protest at the Jantar Mantar, the Delhi Police has clarified that it has no plan of a crackdown at the protest site. This comes after former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claimed that security personnel could take such steps against the protesters.
However, internet services remain suspended till midnight in the 1.5 km radius of Jantar Mantar. The latest order extended the suspension of the services till midnight on Thursday with the approval of the Union Home Secretary under the Telecommunication Act, 2023 and the Telecommunications (Temporary Suspension of Services) Rules, 2024 in the interest of "public safety and averting public emergency".