Jaipur: Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and several senior Congress members were detained by Jaipur police Tuesday after staging a sit-in at Ambedkar Circle. The protest was against the alleged police action on students demonstrating in Delhi, demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Following the demonstration, Congress members were taken outside the city and released.
Former CM Ashok Gehlot and PCC Chief Govind Dotasara with party workers protested against NEET Paper Leak at Ambedkar Circle in Jaipur Tuesday.
Former CM Ashok Gehlot and PCC Chief Govind Dotasara with party workers protested against NEET Paper Leak at Ambedkar Circle in Jaipur Tuesday.
The protest gained momentum as Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, was detained in the national capital while participating in a similar demonstration Tuesday evening.Gehlot condemned Gandhi’s detention, calling it “shameful,” and accused the BJP-led Centre of attempting to stifle democratic dissent. “The manner in which Rahul Gandhi was picked up while raising the voice of students is utterly shameful. It shows that PM Narendra Modi has no faith in democracy,” Gehlot said.The demonstration was spearheaded by Pradesh Congress Committee president Govind Singh Dotasra, alongside chief whip Rafeek Khan, MLAs Ghanshyam Mehar and Amin Kagzi, along with several party members and workers. They gathered at the party’s war room in C-Scheme area before marching to the Ambedkar Circle, chanting slogans demanding Pradhan’s resignation.Dotasra criticised the BJP govt for resorting to violence against students rather than addressing their concerns. “The way students were beaten shows the BJP has no compassion and no regard for democratic rights. The Congress has joined this fight and will not stop until Pradhan resigns,” he said.Former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot also spoke out against the police’s actions. In a post on X, Pilot remarked that the alleged lathi-charge on protesting students has ignited widespread outrage across the country and warned that the Centre is jeopardizing the future of young people. “The lathi-charge on students has been condemned across the country. The youth are hurt and distressed. Injustice has been done to them and their future has been jeopardized,” Pilot wrote.
