Priyanka Gandhi urges Centre to hold dialogue with protesting students

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra urged the Centre to listen to protesting students, stating they have lost faith in the system. She called for dialogue and action on demands, including the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday urged the Centre to listen to the protesting students and hold a dialogue with them, saying that they have "lost their faith in the system". Speaking about the ongoing student protests, Priyanka Gandhi told ANI that the government must address their demands, including the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, a probe into the alleged assault on protesters and fulfilment of their other demands.

'Students Have Lost Faith in the System'

"He is a leader, and the time has come to show leadership. Listen to the demands of the students; they are demanding the resignation of the minister and action against those who have beaten them up. The students have lost faith in the system. If you provide a solution within the framework of the system, the students will not accept it. " She added, "A solution can be reached only when you agree to the demands of the students. You tweet that you have faith in the students, but last night you were beating them up. If you have faith in the students, then why are the students being lathi-charged? If you are worried about the students, then call and speak with them."

Priyanka Gandhi said, "Children are urging for something, and you (Centre) are saying something else. It is important to hear them and their plea." Drawing an analogy, she said, "It is like when children tell their father that they want to become a designer and the father replies that he has already made arrangements for them in an engineering college."

She said the government must listen to the students to find a solution to the issue. "Sometimes, leaders have to overcome their fear and listen to the public. Thousands are at Jantar Mantar," she said. She said the Centre needs to take concrete steps to rebuild the trust of students and asserted that the government cannot claim to care for them while taking action against protesters. "If you care about the students, then have a dialogue with them," she said.

'Remove Education Minister First': Congress

Congress MP KC Venugopal also hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks on setting up fast-track courts to ensure stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks, saying that the credibility of his words has "already disappeared". Venugopal said the Prime Minister should first remove Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and then hold talks with the protesting students. "Nobody believes in his words nowadays. The credibility of his words has already disappeared. First of all, he has to remove Dharmendra Pradhan from the Education Ministry. Then he has to talk to the students," Venugopal said. (ANI)

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