NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, along with MPs from the INDIA bloc, arrived in Parliament on Wednesday dressed in black to mark a “Black Day” over the alleged NEET irregularities and the police action against protesting students.Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, JMM MP Mahua Maji and several other opposition leaders also wore black as they gathered at Makar Dwar to stage a protest on the third day of Monsoon session of Parliament. The MPs raised slogans demanding justice for students and the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the controversy surrounding the examination. Opposition reacts Akhilesh Yadav questioned why the government was unwilling to remove the Union education minister, asking,”What pressure is the government under that it cannot remove the minister?” Explaining the Opposition’s decision to wear black in Parliament, he said,”We have come wearing black clothes. Black is the colour of protest; it is also the colour of grief.”JMM MP Mahua Maji, while talking to reporters, said that the goal was to protect students, not score political points. “Opposition stands united”, she said.Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Mallikarjun Kharge also launched a sharp attack on the Centre during the Opposition’s “Black Day” protest in Parliament.Speaking to reporters, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the focus should remain on the students’ demands rather than the treatment meted out to Opposition leaders. “What happened with us is irrelevant. Students have genuine demands and are asking for their rights,” she said. She alleged that despite an education budget of Rs 1.4 lakh crore, the government had “waived off Rs 16 lakh crore loans for Adani and Ambani,” while students continued to face repeated paper leaks. “Students have a genuine struggle and are asking for change. Paper leaks are happening repeatedly. There is nothing undemocratic about peaceful protest, but what is happening with students and in Parliament is undemocratic,” she added.Congress president and leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge also accused the Centre of undermining democratic institutions. “They are functioning like a dictatorship. They do not respect MPs. They harass even those who protest as per rules,” he said.Kharge further alleged that BJP-RSS workers were operating alongside the police and warned the government against attempting to intimidate the opposition.
