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Students affiliated with the Students' Federation of India (SFI) gathered inside the Presidency College campus in Chennai on Friday to stage a sit-in demonstration and raised slogans voicing fierce opposition to the central administration and pressing for the immediate ouster of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Students at Presidency College in Chennai staged the protest inside the campus premises, joining growing nationwide agitations to demand the removal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over examination security issues. Earlier this week on Monday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has extended support to Congress' protest, condemning the police action against the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protest. The opposition MPs, including Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, held protests wearing black clothes against the government on the Parliament premises. On Tuesday, Congress led a protest at Lok Kalyan Marg, after which Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and several other leaders were detained by the police. Congress had demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Vijay condemned the detention of opposition leaders and termed the police action "undemocratic." He wrote on X, "The arrest of several leaders--including the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Mr Rahul Gandhi--who stepped forward to support the youth protesting in Delhi against the irregularities in the NEET examination, is undemocratic. These actions by the Union Government are condemnable. Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam extends its full support to the protest being held today within the Parliament complex by opposition parties, condemning the unfortunate incidents that occurred yesterday." Further, Vijay called for abolishing the NEET examination. He said that for the abolishment, education must be transferred to the State List. Currently, education as a subject is under the Concurrent List. He suggested the creation of a 'Special Concurrent List' as an interim measure for states to exercise full authority over general and medical education. Meanwhile, a high-level meeting between leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Union Minister Jitendra Singh, is currently underway at the Constitution Clup in the national capital. The meeting follows significant developments in the ongoing youth-led protests over alleged irregularities in national-level examinations. CJP representative Abhijeet Dipke said, "Nothing short of resignation (of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan) is acceptable to us. The protest will not be called off." This comes after Social activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day-long hunger strike after receiving a written assurance from the Union Government regarding the NEET examination issue and systemic reforms in the country's competitive testing framework. Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike in the presence of Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh at Medanta Hospital. The activist, who has been protesting over recent irregularities in national-level examinations, noted that the breakthrough came after significant parliamentary support and intense negotiations. Wangchuk further revealed that while verbal assurances were offered earlier, he insisted on a formal document, leading to a two-day delay in ending his protest. On the other hand, PM Modi had assured strict action against those responsible for alleged paper leaks and said the Union Cabinet will consider a draft Bill providing for Fast-Track Courts and stringent punishment for offenders. (ANI)
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