The Centre on Tuesday accused Rahul Gandhi of taking a U-turn on his demands over the NEET paper leak as Congress leaders refused to budge from their sit-in protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence, demanding the sacking of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh held talks with Rahul and protesting leaders but returned empty-handed as Congress refused to call off their protest.
Jitendra Singh's accusations against Rahul Gandhi
Singh, who earlier held talks with Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders during the protest near Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence, was unable to persuade them to call off the demonstration.
In a post on X, Jitendra Singh claimed that Rahul Gandhi had initially agreed to withdraw the protest if the government accepted his demand for a discussion in Parliament on the NEET issue and the related student movement. Singh said that after obtaining approval from the government's top leadership, he informed Rahul Gandhi that the Centre was ready to hold such a discussion in Parliament.
According to Singh, Rahul Gandhi then insisted that the Union Education Minister must also resign before the protest could be withdrawn. Singh alleged that when reminded that his earlier demand had been limited to a parliamentary discussion, Rahul Gandhi said his demands had changed. Calling the development "unfortunate," the Union Minister accused the Congress leader of going back on his word and said such conduct was contrary to democratic norms.
Rahul Gandhi detained, forcibly removed from protest site
Delhi Police forcibly removed and detained Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, several Congress MPs and other party leaders from their protest site near Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official residence at Lok Kalyan Marg. The action came a day after police cracked down on a student-led march over the NEET controversy and other alleged examination paper leaks.
The detentions followed talks between Union Minister Jitendra Singh and the protesting leaders. While the Centre indicated its willingness to hold a discussion in Parliament on education-related issues, Rahul Gandhi maintained that the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was also necessary, following which the protest continued.
