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Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief and MP Akhilesh Yadav on Monday condemned the heavy-handed police actions against youth protestors in the national capital, vowing to formally raise the issue on the floor of the Lok Sabha.
Speaking with the media, Yadav accused the government of being completely blindsided by the sheer volume of youth mobilisation, stating that the deployment of lathis (batons), tear gas, and plainclothes officers reflects a systemic failure to address student grievances. Beyond the student demonstrations, the SP leader escalated his attack by demanding immediate transparency from the ruling coalition regarding the unfolding Ram Mandir donation controversy, calling the alleged financial irregularities a "grave sin." "We witnessed the conduct of the government and the police, the use of lathis and tear gas, and the way police personnel in plainclothes treated the students and youth...The government did not anticipate that students and the youth would turn out in such large numbers. This represents a massive failure, and it is precisely because of this failure that people have gathered here...For years, the government has been playing with the future of students and the youth. That very anger is visible now; the call for revolution is rising, and a sense of solidarity is evident. That is why the country's youth are present here in such vast numbers. We will raise the incident that occurred today in the Lok Sabha tomorrow...The government must clarify its stance regarding the Ram Mandir donation controversy. The theft of offerings, donations, and contributions is shameful; it is a grave sin. Who will answer for this grave sin? The government must step forward to address it," he said. SP MP Iqra Hasan also condemned the police action and said the protest was for a "small and legitimate demand". "It is deeply regrettable to see the way this government has treated the country's youth and students. The manner in which lathi-charges were carried out is unacceptable...The indecency displayed by this government reflects its arrogance and its desire to weaken democracy," Hasan told ANI. Defending the students, she added, "The students who came here from across the country were raising a very small and legitimate demand; they were only asking for the Education Minister's resignation. No one was demanding the Prime Minister's resignation or talking about toppling the government. Shouldn't a minister under whose watch so many examination papers have leaked, including the NEET paper twice, resign voluntarily on moral grounds? They are not even willing to engage in dialogue." She asserted the Samajwadi Party's support for the agitation."The Samajwadi Party has consistently stood with the students. We have been active participants in the protests and will continue to be. It is our responsibility to take issues from the streets into the House, and when the House does convene, these very issues will echo within its chambers," Hasan told ANI. The remarks came as the Monsoon Session of Parliament got off to a stormy start, with both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha witnessing repeated disruptions over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak and the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in Ayodhya. (ANI)
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