Priyanka Gandhi slams Centre over police action on student protesters, demands PM Modi address paper leak crisis in Parliament

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slammed the Centre on Monday over police force against student protesters marching to Parliament. Demanding a parliamentary debate on paper leaks, she urged PM Narendra Modi to directly address the concerns of India's youth

New Delhi: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday slammed the Centre over police lathi-charging protesters, demanding that a detailed discussion on the paper leaks issue should take place in Parliament and Prime Minister Narendra Modi respond to the concerns of the country’s youth.

A large number of students and protesters tried to march towards Parliament following a call given by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), only to be met by police teargas and lathi-charges in a spiralling protest that started with exam paper leaks and gained traction with activist Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike.

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Asked about the use of force against protesters, Priyanka Gandhi told reporters in the Parliament House complex, “It’s ridiculous… They are our own children… they are the future of the country. This Parliament belongs to them. It’s no one’s personal fiefdom.”

She said the paper leak is a genuine issue and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has been raising it for quite some time.

“We have been saying there should be a discussion as there are problems in the education policy. You are not ready to discuss and fire tear gas at children and beat them up. For what? They are our children,” Priyanka Gandhi said.

Later, in a post in Hindi on X, she said that instead of wielding ‘lathis’ on children, the BJP government should review its policies and shortcomings.

“First, the NEET paper was leaked, the exam was cancelled and reports of irregularities have surfaced even in re-NEET. It was said that the prime minister himself would monitor it.

“Despite that, why and how is all this happening? How are so many paper leaks occurring repeatedly?” the Congress general secretary said.

A detailed discussion on this issue should take place in Parliament and the prime minister should listen to the concerns of the country’s millions of youth and respond to them, Priyanka Gandhi said.

Clashes broke out with protesters, some in school uniform, streaming into central Delhi, navigating inner lanes and attempting to find alternative routes to get as close as possible to Parliament. Some police personnel and protesters were injured.

Undeterred by the extensive barricading, they walked several kilometres, sometimes joining groups of protesters, shouting slogans, stopping to wait for an opportune moment to break through and breaching layers of barricades at multiple locations.

There was chaos in the area with security forces using batons, lathis and teargas to disperse the restive crowds near Constitution Club, Patel Chowk, Shastri Bhawan, RBI Building and Parliament Street police. The internet was shut down in large parts of the area.

It was also the first day of the Monsoon session of Parliament. The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha witnessed multiple adjournments amid uproar by opposition members over the CJP-led protest that started at Jantar Mantar