Opposition increased pressure amid opposition from CJP

India’s opposition lawmakers dressed in black in a protest outside the Parliament complex in New Delhi on Wednesday, calling out “police brutality” over Monday’s crackdown on youth protesters in the capital.

The opposition Congress party said the MLAs were protesting against the “mishandling of the students’ agitation by the Modi government and the continuation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in office”.

India’s main opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and senior Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, who were present at the demonstration, were briefly detained during their protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence the previous evening, where they demanded the Indian leader’s resignation.

“Students have genuine demands and they are demanding their rights,” Priyanka Gandhi told the media on Wednesday. He said that “there is nothing undemocratic in peaceful protests.”

The protests from opposition MPs come as the Indian Parliament tries to proceed with the third day of the monsoon session.

Parliament’s second session of the year got off to a rocky start as thousands of youth protesters tried to march to its gates on Monday demanding Pradhan’s resignation and sweeping reforms of the country’s examination system.

Inside the bicameral Parliament, both Houses – Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha – have had to be repeatedly adjourned for the last three days due to disruptions by opposition MPs demanding a discussion on the entrance exam paper leak.

I’m Dharvi Vaid Dhulia from DW’s studios in New Delhi, back with our daily capsule of all the biggest headlines and events making India the talk.

Opposition MPs are planning to demonstrate outside a gate of the Indian Parliament as they demand the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The opposition protest comes two days after a crowd of thousands of young protesters – angry over what they say are failures in the education system – tried to march to Parliament and were met with batons and tear gas by police.

The youth protests are seen as one of the biggest public challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government as it seeks re-election for a third term in 2024.

Yesterday evening, dramatic scenes unfolded in the Indian capital when opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and members of his Congress party were briefly detained after marching to Modi’s door demanding his resignation over the police action against student protesters.

Pradhan has issued his first statement after the protests against him started against him under the leadership of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) movement a month ago.

Meanwhile, at ‘Ground Zero’ of the Jantar Mantar protests, hundreds of people are still camping as the CJP presses ahead with its demands.

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