New Delhi [India], July 21 : Several Congress leaders protesting against the government at the Lok Kalyan Marg were detained by Delhi Police on Tuesday.
Security has also been beefed up in the area and paramilitary forces reached Lok Kalyan Marg.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, MPs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and KC Venugopal led the protest at Lok Kalyan Marg, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after the police action on the CJP protest on Monday.
Kharge reiterated the party's support for students' demands and slammed the government for "lathi-charge" on Monday.
"The Congress Party stands with the students' rights and their legitimate demands. We are sitting on a dharna outside the Prime Minister's residence. This cowardly authoritarian government will have to answer for the lathi charge and use of force. Modi-Shah are guilty against our youth; they will have to resign," the Congress chief wrote on X.
Former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi termed the police action as "BJP's terrorism."
"This is BJP's terrorism. They don't listen to the students," Channi told reporters, while being detained by police.
Congress MP K Suresh accused police of high-handedness. "Brutally, they are detaining us. We are protesting in front of the Prime Minister's residence because our students were brutally attacked yesterday by the Delhi police. The Prime Minister is not saying anything; the Home Minister is not making any statement. The Prime Minister is not opening his mouth," he told ANI.
The Congress leaders maintained that they were not allowed to raise the issue in Parliament.
"LoP went to Speaker's office. He asked for the debate on the issue....Prime Minister and the Home Minister did not come to Parliament," Manickam Tagore said.
Tagore added that Congress leaders came to the Lok Kalyan Marg to meet the Prime Minister and convey their demand for Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation as the Education Minister.
"We have come to his residence to tell him that the Education Minister must resign. He should dismiss the Education Minister. There should be action against the Delhi police. The Home Minister is responsible for it. PM Modi is responsible for it. He can't run away from that responsibility. We have not been allowed inside to meet the Prime Minister. Therefore, they are detaining all of the MPs here," he said.
Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said, "If this is the condition of MPs, imagine what is happening to the students."
Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain said Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge tried to raise the issue in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha today about "how lathi-charge, water cannons, and tear gas were used against students yesterday who had gathered here from all over the country and were participating in an organic movement".
"But they were not allowed to speak. In fact, no MP was allowed to speak. The Prime Minister does not even come to Parliament. That is why all the opposition MPs have come to his residence, so that our voices are heard."
Party MP Imraan Masood said students were beaten up during the protest.
"They are mishandling us. Students were beaten up. We are being shoved around. Where else will they listen to us? They are not ready to listen to us in Parliament either."
The protest came hours after both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned for the day with the opposition seeking discussion on the NEET-UG paper leak and other issues of the education sector amid the protest in the national capital.
Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha faced adjournments over the opposition demands.
Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue of "lathi-charge" on protestors in Rajya Sabha on Monday and Tuesday.
In an X post, Rahul Gandhi said they have marched to PM Modi's house "to demand answers from him for the brutalities against young students yesterday".
"The Government doesn't want to take any accountability, or does it want to have a debate on it in Parliament. PM and HM must resign for destroying the future of India's youth," he said.
Earlier today, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and KC Venugopal met student protestors who were injured in a police crackdown in the national capital, with Congress saying PM Modi should apologise for what it called "brutality" against the country's youth.
Union Health Minister JP Nadda also visited RML hospital and met the injured protesters.
Nadda on Monday met a delegation of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which made three demands to the government.