Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi apologise over the handling of the student protests. He also called for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation and sought strict action against everyone responsible for assaulting the protesting students. His remarks came a day after he staged a dramatic protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence. On Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi demanded Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation and an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Calling them “non-negotiable” demands, he also sought action against policemen accused of assaulting students in Delhi on Monday, saying those responsible must be held accountable to help resolve the crisis unfolding on the streets and in Parliament.
Since the BJP-led NDA assumed office in 2014, there have been 152 paper leaks affecting nearly 75 million students, Rahul Gandhi claimed during a press conference on Wednesday. He also alleged that the ongoing protests have unsettled the government. The movement, led by the Cockroach Janta Party following the NEET paper leak controversy, gained widespread support after activist Sonam Wangchuk began an indefinite hunger strike. It escalated into a nationwide campaign over the weekend when authorities shifted Wangchuk to a hospital and police cracked down on protesters marching towards Parliament on Monday, drawing sharp criticism from opposition leaders.
While some protesters resorted to vandalism and allegedly attacked media and police personnel, security forces responded with lathis, tear gas, and electric batons to disperse the crowd. The clashes left several students, police officers, and Rapid Action Force personnel injured. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the NEET paper leak controversy for the first time during a meeting with NDA allies, according to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. Modi assured that he stood with students and promised strict action against those responsible. The NEET re-examination has been completed, results declared, while opposition parties continue backing the nationwide protests.
‘Dharmendra Pradhan Must Resign, PM Should Apologise’: Rahul Gandhi
During the press conference, Gandhi said the students’ demands were justified, “It is a legitimate demand that Dharmendra Pradhan should resign. He has shown the nation and the world that he can’t run an education system,” Gandhi stated. “He is also incompetent and probably collusive in this drama. We know his background. We know how clean he is. This man has to go.”
The Congress leader also addressed the police crackdown. “Everyone who assaulted the students must be held accountable and the PM should apologise.” Rahul Gandhi’s stance could complicate ongoing talks between the government and Opposition floor leaders on how the issue should be debated in Parliament. “How the discussion will happen, it can’t be decided by the government alone. We will decide that. Pradhan must go and the PM should apologise. These are the first steps. Then we want to see the changes made in the system,” Gandhi said.
Police Action During the Protest
On Monday, the 23-day hunger strike at Jantar Mantar grew into the biggest public protest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term. Tens of thousands of people marched towards Parliament, facing police barricades, tear gas, and baton charges along the way. The police crackdown on the protesters has sparked a major political controversy, with Opposition leaders demanding strict action against the officers responsible.
Rahul Gandhi joined a major protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence, where police removed him from the site and took him into custody at Chhatrasal Stadium in North Delhi. Several other opposition leaders, including his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were also detained and taken to the Mandir Marg police station.
‘Inko hataiye’ Rahul Gandhi Claimed
During the press conference, Rahul Gandhi claimed that when police officers dragged him away from the protest site at a busy junction near the Prime Minister’s residence on Lok Kalyan Marg, they told him to remove the government.
