Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav were among several Opposition leaders detained by Delhi Police on Tuesday after they staged a dharna near Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence, demanding accountability over alleged police action against students and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Several senior Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, also joined the march towards the protest site.
The protest was held in support of the ongoing agitation by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which is seeking Pradhan's resignation over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, including the NEET controversy.
Ahead of the protest, Gandhi appealed to people to join the dharna, saying "an attack on students is an attack on every Indian family" and accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of failing to answer questions over the issue.
About 20 minutes into the protest, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh, accompanied by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, met Gandhi and urged him to call off the dharna, saying the site was not designated for protests.
According to Singh, Gandhi initially said he would end the protest if the government agreed to discuss issues related to NEET and the ongoing students' agitation in Parliament. Singh later alleged that after the government conveyed its willingness to hold such a discussion, Gandhi added a fresh demand seeking Pradhan's resignation and refused to withdraw the protest.
