Chandigarh, Jul 21 (PTI): Punjab Congress on Tuesday evening held a protest outside the Lok Bhavan here against the police crackdown on youths in Delhi, and pressed for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged paper leaks.
Senior Congress leaders including former Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana K P Singh, former health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, accompanied by a significant strength of party workers, held a protest outside the official residence of the Punjab Governor and raised slogans against the BJP-led Centre, seeking withdrawal of cases registered against youths in Delhi.
Congress leader and former MLA Balbir Sidhu condemned the police action against youths, calling it shameful.
Later, Chandigarh Police removed the Punjab Congress leaders from the protest site and detained them briefly.
Chandigarh Police also detained several Haryana Congress leaders when they tried to move towards Haryana Lok Bhavan from the party office here. They were released later in the evening.
Among those detained were Congress Haryana incharge Sanjay Dutt, state Congress chief Rao Narender Singh and several party MLAs including Aftab Ahmed, Ashok Arora, Geeta Bhukkal, Naresh Selwal, Maman Khan, Mandeep Chatha, Balram Dangi, Vikas Saharan, Induraj Narwal, Devender Hans and Jassi Petwar.
Haryana Congress leaders said their march was in solidarity with the students and against the lathi-charge on protestors at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar during the Cockroach Janta Party’s “Chalo Sansad” march on July 20.
On being detained by police, Dutt told PTI that Haryana Congress “were holding a very peaceful protest, which is our democratic right. But we were stopped from even doing that”.
He said Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and several other senior leaders held a protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official residence over the police action against students protesting on the NEET paper leak issue.
“The students are the future of this country. Repeated paper leaks and government’s total insenstive response has shaken the faith of students,” Dutt said.
He said on Wednesday, all the district Congress committees of Haryana will stage demonstrations over the NEET paper leak issue and submit a memorandum addressed to the President of India through the deputy commissioners.
Dutt said Haryana Congress strongly condemns the BJP-led Centre’s “continued failure to protect the interests and future of the country’s students”.
Haryana Congress reiterated the demand for immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan “for failing to uphold the integrity and credibility of the country’s education and examination system”.
They also sought a comprehensive discussion in Parliament on repeated examination irregularities and the government’s failure to safeguard the future of the nation’s students.
Immediate withdrawal of all FIRs registered against students in connection with Monday protest march also figured in their demands.
Haryana Congress reiterated its commitment to stand in solidarity with the student community and to continue fighting, both inside and outside Parliament, for a transparent examination system, protection of democratic rights, and justice for every student.
Thousands of youth converged near Parliament on the first day of the Monsoon Session on Monday to push for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, only to be pushed back with lathi-charge and teargas.
Opposition parties on Monday launched a blistering attack on the government over the police action against the Cockroach Janta Party-led ‘Chalo Sansad’ march.
The CJP has accused Delhi Police of using excessive force against protesters to prevent them from reaching Parliament, alleging that several students were injured and activist Sonam Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali J Angmo, was pushed around. PTI CHS ARB ARB
(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)
