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Refusing to let the issue of the July 20 student protest fade from the political agenda, Opposition parties on Monday resumed their demonstration in the Parliament premises after proceedings in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned till 12 noon amid heavy sloganeering and repeated disruptions, demanding accountability from Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the alleged police action against student protesters.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress MPs KC Venugopal, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav were among the Opposition leaders who participated in the protest outside Parliament. The protesting MPs raised slogans demanding that Amit Shah respond to allegations of excessive police force during the July 20 'Sansad Chalo' protest and sought the withdrawal of criminal cases registered against student protesters. According to Opposition sources, parties have decided not to participate in discussions inside the House and will continue to press for accountability from the Union Home Minister over the alleged use of force against students. Earlier in the day, Opposition floor leaders met at the office of Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge to finalise their strategy for the ongoing Monsoon Session. The meeting was attended by Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, TMC's Saugata Roy, JMM's Mahua Manjhi, SP's Ramji Lal Suman, CPI's P. Sandosh Kumar, and senior Congress leaders KC Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh. Ahead of the protest, Rahul Gandhi accused the government of unleashing "brutality" against students and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi apologise to the country's youth. In a post on X, Gandhi alleged that AK-47 bullets were fired at protesting students in Bihar and pellet guns were used against students in Delhi. He also claimed that hundreds of students had been arrested in Bihar and FIRs registered against them, accusing the government of suppressing students' voices instead of addressing their concerns. The protests stem from the July 20 'Sansad Chalo' march, organised over irregularities in the NEET and CBSE examinations. The Opposition has consistently demanded a discussion in Parliament on the alleged police crackdown, while Delhi Police has maintained that force was used only after sections of the crowd turned violent during the demonstrations. (ANI)
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