Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the Centre, accusing the government of stifling democratic debate in Parliament and preventing the Opposition from raising issues concerning students and the alleged NEET paper leak.
Dressed in black in solidarity with protesting students, Priyanka Gandhi alleged that the government was suppressing the Opposition's voice both inside Parliament and outside.
"In Parliament, debate is not being allowed. The Leader of Opposition is not allowed to speak, and neither are other opposition leaders. Whenever they rise to speak, they are stopped," she told reporters in the Parliament House complex.
Questioning the functioning of the House, she added:
"The Speaker says he has to ask the government whether a debate can take place. What is this? Democracy is finished."
Referring to the Congress-led protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg on Tuesday, Priyanka Gandhi defended the demonstration, saying peaceful protest is a fundamental democratic right.
"The biggest thing in democracy is freedom of expression and the right to peaceful protest. There is nothing undemocratic about that. What is undemocratic is what is happening in Parliament and on the streets," she said.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and several Opposition MPs, dressed in black, staged a protest outside Parliament on Wednesday against the alleged police action on students demonstrating over the NEET controversy.
Speaking in support of the protesting students, Priyanka Gandhi said the agitation reflected a genuine public concern over the future of young aspirants.
"We are standing with the students and raising their voice. What happened to the students, was it right or wrong? They are protesting, and this is not just any protest. It is a genuine issue. Every parent, every student and every teacher in this country knows it," she said.
She further alleged that students were being denied justice despite years of hard work and preparation.
"These students study with immense dedication and struggle to build a future for themselves, and their future is being destroyed."
Targeting the government's spending priorities, the Congress MP claimed that while education received limited funding, large corporate loans were being waived.
"The entire education budget for the youth of this country is ₹1.4 lakh crore. But you are writing off loans worth ₹16 lakh crore for Adani ji and Ambani ji. The farmers get nothing, the poor get nothing, and the students get nothing," she alleged.
The remarks come a day after several Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, were detained by Delhi Police after staging a sit-in outside the Prime Minister's residence demanding his resignation over the alleged NEET paper leak and police action against students.
According to the Opposition, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh and Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan met the protesting leaders before police removed them from the high-security area. Rahul Gandhi was taken to Chhatrasal Stadium, while Priyanka Gandhi and several MPs were detained at Mandir Marg Police Station. All the leaders were released later in the evening.
After his release, Rahul Gandhi said the Opposition had decided to protest outside the Prime Minister's residence after it became clear that the government was unwilling to schedule a discussion on the students' issue in Parliament.
"The students are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Home Minister Amit Shah, action against those who have humiliated and beaten them, and the withdrawal of cases against them," Rahul Gandhi said.
He maintained that the alleged NEET paper leak and the concerns of students constituted one of the country's most pressing issues and reiterated the Opposition's demand for a full debate in both Houses of Parliament.
