Rahul, Priyanka, Akhilesh detained; forcibly removed from protest site
NEW DELHI, JUL 21 (PTI): In a dramatic turn of events, opposition leaders, including Congress’s Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Samajwadi Party’s (SP) Akhilesh Yadav, were forcibly removed by police on Tuesday after they staged a dharna outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence here, demanding his resignation.
The surprise sit-in in the high-security zone sent the government into a tizzy, prompting it to rush Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh, along with Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, to persuade the opposition leaders to vacate the sensitive site.
Gandhi’s discussion with the minister lasted a few minutes, after which Singh and the home secretary left as the talks remained inconclusive.
Soon after Singh left the protest site, police forcibly removed and detained Gandhi and other leaders in the evening.
Congress leaders said Gandhi was taken to the Chhatrasal stadium in Model Town after his detention.
As police swooped down on the site, Gandhi, who is the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, was seen lying on the ground and resisting as the security personnel tried to pick him up. The Congress leader was hurt in the process.
“Democracy in India is happening right now,” Gandhi told reporters as police tried to remove him from the site.
An aide of the former Congress chief told PTI that Gandhi suffered an injury below the eye, as well as minor injuries on his hands and legs.
Later, Gandhi shared pictures on X of police removing him from the protest site and said, “Modiji, try every pressure, exert all your might — this fight for justice for students will not stop now.”
There were dramatic scenes, with Priyanka Gandhi hanging on the door of the police bus even after it started moving.
Congress leader Pawan Khera said police have “brutally” taken away his party colleagues, but they will continue demanding the resignation of Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Singh told Gandhi that the Centre is ready to discuss the issue of NEET and other related matters in Parliament and he should thus end his stir, but the Congress leader was unrelenting and continued with his protest, with several of his party colleagues raising slogans demanding Modi’s resignation.
Singh later accused Gandhi of “backtracking” from his earlier demand for a debate and said the Congress leader is now demanding Pradhan’s resignation.
The minister said this does not befit a leader of Gandhi’s stature. “A senior leader like Rahul Gandhi going back on his word is unfortunate and contrary to every norm of democracy,” he said in a post on X.
Gandhi, along with other Congress leaders, including the chief ministers of Karnataka and Kerala and several MPs, launched the sit-in around 3:30 pm against Monday’s police action on protesting students.