Congress holds protest in support of students

Congress leaders and workers on Thursday held a demonstration at the mini secretariat against the NEET examination paper leak and the alleged police lathi charge on protesting students at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar during the ongoing protest

Congress leaders and workers on Thursday held a demonstration at the mini secretariat against the NEET examination paper leak and the alleged police lathi charge on protesting students at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar during the ongoing protest.

During the protest, a minor scuffle broke out at the main gate of the secretariat when the protesters. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

The party also sought the intervention of President Droupadi Murmu and submitted a memorandum of demands to sub-divisional magistrate Hitender Sharma.

The protestors demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, a detailed discussion on paper leaks in Parliament, and action against officials responsible for the alleged assault on protestors, Congress leaders told HT.

During the protest, a minor scuffle broke out at the main gate of the secretariat when the protesters, led by district Congress president (urban) Pankaj Dawar and Vardhan Yadav, district president (rural), were not allowed to enter the complex to submit the memorandum to the Gurugram deputy commissioner, said the protestors.

Later, the protesters submitted the memorandum to SDM Sharma.

Dawar said that the Congress supports the protesting students’ demand. “The government should ensure the education minister’s resignation.”

The protestors also demanded that criminal cases registered against some of the students be withdrawn and that Parliament hold a special discussion to understand the challenges faced by aspirants of various exams.

Yadav said that not only the education minister should resign but the top BJP leadership should apologise to the students for failing to conduct exams in a proper manner. “The government has refused to listen to students and is taking measures which recall the memory of colonial times,” he said.

Senior Congress leader Rajesh Yadav said that the party will continue the protest against the government till the demands are met.

Meanwhile, BJP claimed that Congress was politicising students’ issues and attempting to create an atmosphere of “anarchy.”

BJP state president Archana Gupta, while addressing a press conference in Sonipat, said that Congress leadership, including LoP Rahul Gandhi, was avoiding a discussion on NEET in parliament. She alleged that the Congress and the Opposition parties are not interested in resolving students’ concerns but are instead trying to mislead the youth by spreading confusion.

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