Mamata Banerjee's Delhi Visit Called Off as Students Halt Protest After Minister's Resignation
Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee had planned to travel to Delhi on Monday to show solidarity with students protesting at Jantar Mantar. However, the visit was cancelled at the last moment after the student leaders called off their agitation following the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
According to sources, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal had agreed to accompany Banerjee. Other opposition leaders were also considering an invitation from the former West Bengal chief minister. Banerjee had to cancel her flight tickets, but TMC sources said she was happy about what they termed the 'victory of the students'.
In a separate development, a delegation of senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders, including MPs John Brittas and A A Rahim, were denied permission to meet a student injured during the 'Sansad Chalo' march on July 20. The leaders went to RML Hospital on Sunday but were not allowed to see the 21-year-old student, Sakshi, despite assuring hospital officials that they would not disturb anyone and only wanted to express solidarity. The delegation also tried to speak to Sakshi's relatives but could not find them and returned without meeting the student.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is reportedly concerned about the impact of social media on recent protests. The party believes that the Gen Z protests, fueled by social media and content creators, were negatively influenced by algorithms on platforms like Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). This has led to discussions about a 31-member Parliamentary committee formed in December 2024 that had recommended strict action against 'fake news' disguised as social media content. The Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology (2024-25) had flagged the 'massive proliferation of fake news and misinformation' and urged the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to address algorithm biases. The panel had asked the ministry to find solutions to regulate big tech companies and individual content creators or influencers.
