A day after the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) Parliament march ended in clashes with security personnel, the Congress escalated its campaign against the Centre, with senior leaders taking their protest to the vicinity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were among those who led the demonstration. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and other Opposition leaders also joined the protest later in the day.

The demonstration was eventually dispersed by police in the evening. Rahul Gandhi, who had reportedly planned to remain at the site overnight, was removed along with several other leaders. Visuals showed the Congress leader sitting on the road while surrounded by police personnel and refusing to leave. He was later taken away by security personnel and appeared to have sustained an injury to his nose.

Before the police action, Gandhi urged citizens to join the protest, arguing that the treatment of students was an issue affecting families across the country.

The confrontation followed the CJP-led march towards Parliament on Monday, during which police and Rapid Action Force personnel used tear gas and batons to disperse protesters. The organisation has been demanding action over alleged irregularities and paper leaks in competitive examinations, including NEET, and has called for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to step down.

Rahul Gandhi Demands Accountability

Gandhi accused the government of failing to take responsibility for the events surrounding Monday's protest. In addition to demanding Pradhan's resignation and a parliamentary discussion on alleged examination irregularities, he also called for Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to resign over what he described as the mishandling of the situation.

Congress leaders said their demonstration was intended to remain peaceful and was aimed at pressing the government to respond to concerns raised by students and protesters.

The Delhi Police, however, maintained that the CJP protesters had behaved aggressively and accused them of attacking police personnel, damaging vehicles and engaging in violence. According to the force, 118 police personnel, including senior officers, were injured during Monday's unrest.

Jitendra Singh Holds Talks With Rahul Gandhi

In an unusual development, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh arrived at the protest site and spoke directly with Rahul Gandhi.

Congress leaders later said the discussions failed to produce an agreement. According to Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain, the party was unwilling to withdraw its demonstration without assurances on its demands, including Pradhan's resignation and a discussion in Parliament on alleged paper leaks.

Singh later presented a different account of the conversation. In a post on X, he claimed Gandhi had initially agreed to call off the demonstration if the government permitted a parliamentary discussion on NEET and examination-related issues, but subsequently added the Education Minister's resignation as another condition.

Police began moving to clear the protest area soon after Singh's statement.

Opposition Leaders Join Demonstration

The protest expanded during the evening, with Akhilesh Yadav and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule joining the gathering.

The Aam Aadmi Party, however, criticised the Congress action, alleging that the BJP was indirectly benefiting from the demonstration because it diverted public attention from the CJP's campaign.

Congress leaders argued that they had been left with few avenues to raise their concerns after repeated disruptions in Parliament.

Kharge said the Opposition had attempted to raise the issue of the alleged assault on student protesters, but claimed that MPs were unable to speak in the House. He questioned how Opposition parties could make their concerns heard if parliamentary debate was not allowed.

Parliament Disrupted Amid NEET Controversy

The Monsoon Session of Parliament has witnessed early adjournments on both days so far, with the Opposition repeatedly seeking to raise the alleged examination irregularities and Monday's police action.

Meanwhile, representatives of the CJP held discussions with BJP president JP Nadda on Monday. Union Health Minister J P Nadda also visited two Delhi hospitals on Tuesday to meet protesters who were injured during the Parliament march.

The government has said it is willing to hear the protesters' concerns but has maintained that violence will not be tolerated.

Prime Minister Modi also addressed the NEET controversy on Tuesday, stressing that preventing examination paper leaks is a national responsibility. According to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Modi urged ruling alliance MPs to remain united while asking Opposition parties to participate constructively in parliamentary proceedings.

The Prime Minister also said that authorities had acted promptly after the NEET paper leak allegations emerged, resulting in arrests and action against those accused.

With the Opposition continuing to press for accountability and the government defending its handling of the situation, the dispute over examination irregularities, student protests and the police crackdown is expected to remain a major flashpoint during the ongoing Parliament session.