'Join us at dharna outside PM house': Rahul Gandhi's big call over crackdown on CJP march

Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, issued a big call on Tuesday, urging “patriotic Indians” to join his protest outside the official residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi.Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi with Congress MPs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Hibi Eden, and others stage a sit-in protest near the Prime Minister's residence over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination, in New Delhi, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (PTI)The call came a day after a Delhi police crackdown on a student protest march to Parliament organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over alleged paper leaks.“An attack on students is an attack on every Indian family. Prime Minister Modi thinks he can escape without giving answers, without facing any consequences - he won't be able to, not at all this time. I appeal to every patriotic Indian who believes that our students should get justice - join our dharna in front of the Prime Minister's residence,” Rahul Gandhi wrote on X.Party MPs, including president Mallikarjun Kharge and general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and KC Venugopal, were at the protest, the first time Rahul has led such a demonstration outside the PM's house.The party members had initially started the protest outside the PM's residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, but were later moved to 10, Rajaji Marg.Rahul Gandhi decided to move to the PM's house because the Lok Sabha speaker didn't give the Opposition an opportunity to raise the issue in Parliament, a leader told HT.“He told the MPs, 'let's go and wake the PM on this issue',” a person familiar with the matter said.Government proposes a discussionJitendra Singh, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), met Rahul Gandhi soon after and said the government is ready to discuss the students' protest-related issue in Parliament on Wednesday, people familiar with the matter told HT.However, it is learnt that the Congress is firm on its demand for resignations by PM Narendra Modi, education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and home minister Amit Shah over the police action against protesters during the CJP march to Parliament a day earlier.Before proceeding with the protest, speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Gandhi accused the Centre of using police force to suppress students raising genuine concerns.“The entire country knows the education system and testing system are broken; it has ceased to exist. The testing system has been hollowed out by termites. That is all they are saying. We have been saying it too. I have been giving presentation after presentation about this. Why is the Prime Minister silent?” Gandhi said.“We went to the Speaker and said, 'Look, we want to discuss the student issue,' and the Speaker told us that to hold a discussion, he has to ask the government. Do you understand what this means? The Speaker is telling us that to debate in Parliament, he has to take permission from the government,” he said.Calling the police response “un-Indian”, he said students deserved better treatment.“The point is, this is no way to treat the young people of this country. The young people of this country do not have opportunities; all the doors are closed; one door is open for competitive exams, which is also destroyed. These students here are complaining not just about the education system but their future,” Gandhi said.He further alleged that the country's education system had been taken over by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), parent body of the ruling BJP, and accused the Modi government of favouring industrialists over students.“This is much bigger than education. This is students of India saying they have no future in India. This is legitimate. Dharmendra Pradhan, the home minister and the Prime Minister, should resign,” he said.After addressing the media, Gandhi, accompanied by Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Congress general secretary K C Venugopal, visited Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital to meet protesters injured during Monday's clashes, and later went for the protest at Lok Kalyan Marg (earlier known as Race Course Road).CJP leaders meet JP NaddaMeanwhile, two CJP representatives, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, met Union health minister J P Nadda on Monday to submit the organisation's demands in writing following the protest.The protest infrastructure at Jantar Mantar was dismantled after the clashes, while prohibitory orders under Section 163 remained in force in parts of central Delhi, restricting gatherings of five or more people.However, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke continued his sit-in at Jantar Mantar, reiterating that the agitation would continue until Pradhan resigns.Climate activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk remained on hunger strike at Safdarjung Hospital, where he was admitted after being taken into custody by Delhi Police on July 18.According to the latest hospital health bulletin, Wangchuk's serum potassium level was 3.2 mEq/L in a sample collected on Monday night. He is receiving oral rehydration solution (ORS) and oral potassium supplements, but continues to decline intravenous fluids and glucose administration.