Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and senior Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were forcibly removed from a sit-in protest near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence in New Delhi on Tuesday after they refused to end the demonstration.
The Congress leaders were protesting against police action taken against students during the Cockroach Janta Party’s march to Parliament a day earlier. They were also demanding accountability over the NEET UG 2026 paper leak and seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
While being detained by Delhi Police, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “They are cowards. They are scared. We are not scared of them. They are scared of us.”
… योद्धा … योद्धा है हमारे नेता @RahulGandhi जी
— Supriya Bhardwaj (@Supriya23bh) July 21, 2026
… बच्चों के अधिकार … छात्रों के … देश के युवाओं के भविष्य के लिए संसद से सड़क तक संघर्ष करते नेता विपक्ष Rahul Gandhi जी …
देखिए नेता विपक्ष को कैसे घसीटते हुए लेकर गए हैं … 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/qdCgKguw5c
Police attempted to forcibly remove Rahul Gandhi from the protest site and were seen carrying him towards a bus. Several other Congress leaders and workers were also detained as police moved to disperse the demonstrators.
The development followed a meeting between Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh and Rahul Gandhi during the Congress protest at Lok Kalyan Marg. Singh later accused the Congress leader of going back on his word, calling his conduct “unfortunate and contrary to every norm of democracy.”
Jitendra Singh Says Rahul Gandhi Changed Demands
In a post on X, Singh said Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, suddenly began a sit-in near Akbar Road along with their supporters.
Singh said the government had sent him and Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan to speak with the leaders, given their seniority. He said he requested Rahul Gandhi to end the protest, noting that the location was not designated for demonstrations and that the sit-in was causing inconvenience to the public.
According to Singh, Rahul Gandhi initially demanded that Parliament discuss all issues relating to NEET and the associated agitation, and said he would end the protest immediately if the government agreed.
“Within a few moments, after taking permission from the government’s top leadership, Shri Rahul Gandhi was assured that his demand has been accepted, and the government is ready to discuss in Parliament all issues related to NEET and the associated movement,” the Union Minister said.
Singh claimed Rahul Gandhi subsequently added another demand, seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
“When this information was conveyed to Shri Rahul Gandhi, he said that he would not agree to this alone but also sought assurance for the resignation of the Union Education Minister,” Singh added.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had criticised Prime Minister Modi over the police action against protesters during their march to Parliament and urged citizens who believe in justice for students to join the Congress protest near the Prime Minister’s residence.
“An attack on students is an attack on every Indian family. PM Modi believes he can get away without answers, without consequences. He cannot. Not this time. I appeal to every patriotic Indian who believes our students deserve justice – join us in dharna in front of the Prime Minister’s residence. The voice of India’s students will not be ignored,” Gandhi said in a post on X.
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