Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has parked himself outside the Prime Minister's residence along with the Congress party's top leadership, and the party is making just one demand, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan must resign before the sit-in ends. Minister of State Jitendra Singh walked over from the Prime Minister's Office to try and defuse the standoff and spent a few minutes talking with Rahul Gandhi. He urged the Congress leaders to call off the protest, but Rahul Gandhi did not budge, and the demonstration is still going on.
Why Congress turned down the government's offer
The central government offered Congress a discussion on the issue in Parliament on Wednesday. Congress rejected that offer outright, because the party isn't asking for a debate, it wants action. According to available information, Congress has placed two conditions before the government, an immediate resignation from Dharmendra Pradhan, and a statement from the Home Minister in both houses of Parliament. Sources say that after meeting Rahul Gandhi, Jitendra Singh briefed the Bharatiya Janata Party's senior leadership on the details of the ongoing Congress protest.
Two chief ministers and Congress's top brass join the sit-in
This is far from a solo protest by Rahul Gandhi. Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, two sitting chief ministers, are present at the site, along with Priyanka Gandhi and several other senior party leaders. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also joined the sit-in, though police later escorted him away in a car. Several Congress leaders were also taken into custody during the protest. Congress MP K. Suresh, who was detained, spoke to the media from inside a bus and said, "Our students were attacked very brutally." He added that both the Prime Minister and Home Minister Amit Shah have stayed silent on the issue, which is why Congress MPs from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha are now protesting on the streets.
What triggered the standoff
The row traces back to police action during a protest in Delhi on Monday. Congress is angry over how police dealt with students during that demonstration, and has been demanding Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation ever since. The party says Prime Minister Narendra Modi should personally apologise for what it calls brutality against the country's youth. Despite Jitendra Singh's appeal, Rahul Gandhi is holding firm on his demands, and the protest near the Prime Minister's residence continues.
