AAP slams Centre over police action on student protesters; demands Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) condemned the Central government on Monday for using tear gas and lathi charges on student protesters in Delhi. AAP leaders demanded Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation and supported CJP's 'Sansad Chalo' march

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party on Monday slammed the Centre for lobbing tear gas shells on marching protesters and accused it of hubris for not starting a talk with the students on strike for the resignation of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said the youth protesting now for several days had only one demand: the removal of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

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“The protest has been going on for several days. They had only one demand: resignation of the education minister and strict action in the paper leak matter. But no one from the central government had time to talk to the protestors. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has time to eat ‘Melody’ but not talk to the protestors,” Singh said.

The party’s Rajya Sabha member said youth were beaten up, tear gas was used against them, and they were treated like they were from an enemy country.

“Prime Minister Modi should now understand that the youth has awakened. They will throw you out of power if you do not listen to them,” he said.

Addressing a press conference, AAP leader Gopal Rai demanded that the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke be immediately released from custody.

“They only demanded the removal of Pradhan; what the government did instead was the removal of Sonam Wangchuk from the protest site. Students were peacefully marching, but all roads were barricaded around Jantar Mantar, force was used, and Dipke was arrested,” Rai said.

Delhi Police has said Dipke was never detained and the reports of his detention were false.

The press conference was also addressed by Leader of Opposition Atishi and the AAP’s Delhi unit president, Saurabh Bharadwaj, and MLA Sanjeev Jha.

“The huge number of protestors suggests that PM Modi and his government are hugely unpopular with Gen Z. People are still joining the protest; youth not only from Delhi but Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have also joined,” Bharadwaj said.

Earlier in the day, Atishi, former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, and Sanjay Singh joined the CJP’s Parliament march.

Thousands of protesters converged in central Delhi and marched towards Parliament, only to be met by teargas and lathi-charges.

The demonstrations, which began over examination irregularities and paper leaks, gained traction with activist Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike.