New Delhi : Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP, on Tuesday stated that students had been beaten for asking legitimate questions about their future. He called for a detailed discussion in Parliament’s Monsoon Session on the alleged brutality against students and the NEET examination paper leak crisis.
In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi said he met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla along with Opposition MPs to demand that Parliament discuss the matter. Leaders of the INDIA bloc held a key strategy meeting at Parliament House in New Delhi to coordinate their approach and finalise tactics for the ongoing Monsoon Session proceedings.
“Met the Lok Sabha Speaker today along with MPs of the Opposition. Our demand is simple: Parliament must have a detailed discussion on the brutality unleashed on students yesterday and on the government’s complete lack of accountability for the examination crisis,” he wrote.
Gandhi added that students faced violence for raising questions about their future and questioned Parliament’s role in addressing youth issues. “Students were beaten for asking legitimate questions about their own future. If Parliament cannot discuss the future of India’s youth, what is it for?” he said.
He further stated that the Opposition would persist in raising the issue both inside and outside Parliament. “The Opposition will not let this be buried. We will ensure that the students’ voice will be heard on the streets and in Parliament,” he said.
Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said the Opposition demanded Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan explain his failures on the House floor. “Along with LOP Rahul Gandhi ji and other Opposition MPs, I met the Hon’ble Lok Sabha Speaker demanding that the LOP and Opposition Parties be given dedicated time to raise the issue of the NEET and CBSE fiascos, the Delhi Police’s violence on peaceful youth protesters yesterday, and to demand accountability from the government for these crises. We also demanded that the Education Minister give an explanation for his failures on the floor of the House,” Venugopal wrote on X.
Key leaders from the INDIA bloc, including Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi and members of allied parties such as the SP, Left, and Sena, held a formal meeting with the Lok Sabha Speaker inside Parliament House to intensify opposition coordination during the session.
Expressing deep sorrow over the police crackdown on student protesters, Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge announced he would not celebrate his birthday, condemning the use of force against youth demanding justice.
In a post on X, Mallikarjun Kharge wrote: “Yesterday, the nation witnessed lathicharges, tear gas shells, and the crushing of a peaceful Democratic protest by the Government. The voices of students demanding justice were met with force instead of answers. This is not how a ‘Mother of Democracy’ treats its young children. In these painful circumstances, I have decided not to celebrate my birthday today.”
The opposition’s statements follow intensified protests by the CJP over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak on Monday, with a party delegation meeting Union Health Minister JP Nadda to press demands amid a march towards Parliament that turned violent.
The Monsoon Session of Parliament began on Monday and is scheduled to continue until August 13.
