Rahul Gandhi demands PM Modi's apology and resignation over students' protest police action
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologise to students for the police action against a protest near Parliament and to resign along with Home Minister Amit Shah.
Speaking to reporters in the Parliament House complex, Gandhi said he had met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla along with other MPs to request a discussion on the issue. According to Gandhi, Birla responded that he would need to consult the government before allowing a debate.
Gandhi described the police action against student protesters as 'unIndian' and said Modi had not apologised for the incident. The protesters were demonstrating against the education and testing system, which Gandhi called 'broken' and 'hollowed out by termites.'
On Monday, thousands of students gathered near Parliament on the first day of the Monsoon session, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Police used lathis and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Gandhi said he would visit the injured students. When asked about the demand for Pradhan's resignation, Gandhi said Pradhan is an intermediary, but the Home Minister (Shah) should resign because he is responsible for the police action. He added that since the Home Minister reports to the Prime Minister, Modi should also resign.
