NEET row: Rahul Gandhi, INDIA bloc march to support student protest

Rahul Gandhi and INDIA bloc leaders are marching to Gandhi Smriti to support students over the NEET-UG paper leak. The Opposition stands in solidarity with students injured during protests, despite police barricades and house arrest claims.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday said that the INDIA bloc leaders are headed to Gandhi Smriti on Tees January Marg, extending support to students over the NEET-UG paper leak.

In an X post, following the INDIA bloc meeting at his residence, Rahul Gandhi said that the opposition stands with the students injured in the police action on July 20. "Right now, MPs and leaders of the INDIA alliance are peacefully heading to Gandhi Smriti on Tees January Marg. We go to remember the students we lost - the children driven to take their own lives after the NEET paper leak. And we go to stand with the students who lie injured today - beaten for peacefully demanding justice and accountability. India's students are not alone. The entire Opposition stands with them and their demands," he wrote.

Police Action and 'House Arrest' Allegations

The Opposition MPs boarded a bus to head to the Gandhi Smriti. Police barricades were put up outside the residence of Rahul Gandhi as Congress workers arrived in large numbers and breached the security. However, police warned against the protest, asking the leaders to end their demonstration.

Uday Bhanu Chib, National President of Indian Youth Congress, said, "Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, is raising the voice of the country's students and will continue to do so today. He has been placed under house arrest. They should be ashamed. They should ensure that paper leaks are stopped and that the future of the country's youth is not destroyed. Instead of taking action to prevent this, they have placed the country's Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, under house arrest."

"There can be no greater misfortune for the country's politics and democracy than this. We were going towards India Gate, and the country's Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, was going to raise his voice for the students of the country. But fearing this, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have placed him under house arrest today," he added.

Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury said, "Wherever we go, this country is ours. These people are intimidating us by calling the police. We are not afraid of this."

INDIA Bloc Leaders Meet Amid Parliament Deadlock

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress MPs P Chidambaram, KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Renuka Chowdhury, Pramod Tiwari, along with NCP(SCP) MP Supriya Sule and RJD MP Misa Bharati met at Gandhi's residence.

Suspended TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee and party leader Mahua Moitra, CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant also attended the opposition leaders' meeting. This comes after a deadlock in Parliament over the NEET-UG paper leak row, where the Opposition has presented Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation and Rule 267 of the Rajya Sabha as conditions for a discussion. The Centre has maintained that it is ready to discuss the NEET row and the related matters, asking the Opposition not to put any condition. (ANI)

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