Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, alongside Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, led a high-profile protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence in New Delhi on Tuesday, 21 July, demanding the resignations of both the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the alleged police crackdown on peacefully protesting students. The demonstration drew several senior party figures, including Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and General Secretaries K.C. Venugopal.

The Protest and Key Demands

Gandhi and Kharge anchored the dharna, calling the alleged police action against students ‘completely un-Indian’ and holding both PM Modi and Home Minister Shah directly accountable. “The Prime Minister and the Home Minister must resign for destroying the future of India’s youth,” Gandhi declared at the protest site.

Gandhi also demanded a public apology from PM Modi for the alleged lathi charge on students. “Modi ji has not even apologised for what happened yesterday. The Prime Minister should apologise to the students and stop this nonsense of police thrashing students,” he said. He further argued that the broader examination system had been, in his words, “hollowed out by termites.”

What Gandhi Said About Parliament

Earlier in the day, speaking to reporters in the Parliament House complex, Gandhi claimed that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had indicated he would require the government’s clearance before permitting a parliamentary discussion on the student protests. “The Speaker is telling us that to debate in Parliament, he has to take permission from the government,” Gandhi said, framing the remark as evidence of executive overreach into legislative proceedings. The Speaker’s office has not publicly responded to this characterisation.

When asked whether the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan would satisfy the Opposition, Gandhi said Pradhan should step down but maintained that ultimate responsibility for the police action lay with the Home Minister.

The Broader Grievance: Youth and Opportunity

Gandhi argued that the student unrest was symptomatic of a deeper structural failure. “The youth of this country do not have opportunities. All the doors are closed. The only door that remains open is competitive examinations, and that door too has been destroyed,” he said. He contended that the protests reflected widespread frustration among young people who saw little prospect for employment or entrepreneurship.

“This is much bigger than simply education. Students are saying they have no future in India and they want a future. Their demand is legitimate,” Gandhi added, accusing the government of failing to address systemic deficiencies in the education and examination systems. He also noted that the Congress had repeatedly flagged concerns over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations.

Hospital Visit and Social Media Appeal

Following the protest, Gandhi, accompanied by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and K.C. Venugopal, visited Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital to meet students who were reportedly injured in the lathi charge and to inquire about their condition.

In a post on social media, Gandhi had earlier asserted that an attack on students amounted to an attack on every Indian family. “PM Modi believes he can get away without answers, without consequences. He cannot. Not this time,” he wrote, urging citizens who believed students deserved justice to join the protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence.

Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had claimed that PM Modi expressed concern for students during an NDA meeting earlier in the day — a claim Gandhi dismissed, saying the real measure of concern was the treatment meted out to young people on the ground. With Parliament in session and Opposition pressure mounting, the government’s next move on the student issue will be closely watched.