- Congress leaders, led by Rahul Gandhi, held a protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence .
- The protest escalated into a march, resulting in the detention of Rahul Gandhi and other leaders.
- Dharmendra Pradhan accused Congress of politicising the issue and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to resolving it through parliamentary debate.
A day after the CJP-led 'Chalo Sansad March' from Jantar Mantar to Parliament, Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, KC Venugopal, and Pawan Khera, staged an unscheduled protest at Lok Kalyan Marg on Tuesday, demanding the resignations of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG paper leak issue.
The protest took place hours after both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned for the day, with the Opposition demanding a discussion on the NEET-UG paper leak and other concerns affecting the education sector amid protests near Jantar Mantar.
Birthday Party to Sit-In Protest
The sudden decision to march towards the Prime Minister's residence was reportedly told to Congress MPs at the last minute. According to news agency PTI, the Congress leadership did not tell its leaders about the protest to maintain secrecy, as otherwise the area could have been blockaded.
Congress MPs were told that they needed to reach party president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence -- 10 Rajaji Marg -- to wish him on his birthday, PTI reported, citing party sources.
Many MPs were oblivious to what was coming and reached Kharge's residence. They were then asked to follow Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as the top leaders suddenly moved towards the gate of 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, which is about 500 metres from Kharge's house.
Other party leaders also had no clue about the sit-in and they reached the spot as soon as the word spread.
Only the top leaders were in the know of the move and they reached Kharge's residence after both Houses of Parliament were adjourned. Most MPs, however, had no clue about the plan.
The protest began as a sit-in around 3:30 pm and was led by Rahul Gandhi, Kharge, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The demonstration continued for nearly four hours before police moved in, detaining several leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and dispersing the remaining protesters.
The surprise sit-in by the Congress top brass at the high security zone sent the government into a tizzy. To remove the ministers from protesting outside the PM's house, Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh later arrived at the protest site to meet Rahul Gandhi. However, discussions to call off the demonstration did not help, and heavy security was deployed around the VVIP area.
LOP was joined by Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav around 6:30 pm. Shortly afterwards, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Akhilesh Yadav were detained.
Gandhi was taken to the Chhatrasal Stadium, while Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was taken to the Mandir Marg police station. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi visited Priyanka Gandhi at the police station, and the Gandhi siblings were released around 9 pm.
Dharmendra Pradhan's First Reaction to PM Residence Protest
Responding to the Congress sit-in protest outside PM Narendra Modi's residence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg on Tuesday, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan accused Rahul Gandhi of choosing political confrontation over parliamentary debate.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the education minister wrote, "LoP Shri Rahul Gandhi and Congress continue to shamelessly exploit students as political tools to manufacture disruption during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
LoP Shri @RahulGandhi and @INCIndia continue to shamelessly exploit students as political tools to manufacture disruption during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) July 21, 2026
Shri @RahulGandhi and @INCIndia chose to stage a dharna outside the Hon'ble Prime Minister's residence , causing…
Shri Rahul Gandhi chose to stage a dharna outside the Honourable Prime Minister's residence, causing inconvenience to the public and disregarding established security protocols.
Even after the government conveyed its readiness for a comprehensive discussion, the Congress chose political spectacle over democratic debate. Their objective was never solutions for students; it was disruption for political headlines.
For Rahul Gandhi, this is not about students. This is about manufacturing confrontation after every genuine avenue for discussion has been opened."
He concluded, "Our government remains 100% committed to discussing NEET and addressing every genuine concern of our youth on the floor of the House. The students of India deserve far better than being treated as props in a political campaign. They deserve certainty over chaos, solutions over slogans and responsibility over disruption."
( With PTI Inputs )