Union Minister and senior BJP leader J.P. Nadda said that Rahul Gandhi’s protest outside the DCP’s office in Delhi on Friday was “cheap” and “distracting”
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi sat on a dharna outside the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police on Friday, demanding that the police file an FIR over the use of pellet guns on students.
The LoP had claimed that police refused to register a police complaint over the police brutality on July 20 during the student protests at Jantar Mantar.
Speaking to reporters, Nadda said, ”Rahul Gandhi's protest today is not for the students. It is a way to gain footage.”
Nadda alleged that the protest was to keep the party in the headlines.
“The Supreme Court is investigating, so what do you want to show by going outside the police station? He is staging a drama to keep himself in the headlines. The Delhi Police Crime Branch is already investigating, and the DCP has informed him, but despite that, staging a protest shows his stubbornness," he told reporters.
Nadda also claimed that the party was trying to divert attention from another issue. "Challenging law and order is his sole aim. The Congress party is cornered on Vande Mataram and the public is demanding answers, so now, after facing embarrassment, he has staged a drama to divert attention,” he said.
Nadda also questioned the timing of the party’s protest. He said that the protest came amid criticism of the Congress party over the Vande Mataram issue.
Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad also slammed the protest, saying, "It is very unfortunate that LoP Rahul Gandhi does politics of anarchy. Currently, he is sitting on dharna at Parliament Street PS without permission or prior information. The police have informed him that an FIR has already been registered on the incident he is quoting, and it is being probed.”
Prasad said that the issue was already being probed by a committee. "The SC has formed a high-powered committee to probe into this. Rahul Gandhi, don't you want to respect any law? We suspect and allege that Congress is now stuck due to its stance on the national song Vande Mataram. We condemn what the Rahul Gandhi-led Congress is doing right now," he said.
Student Sahil Lohbach, Congress MP Kumari Selja and other leaders were present with Rahul Gandhi. Meanwhile, police said that the complaint has been lodged but that Rahul Gandhi is not the complainant.
Earlier today, after meeting senior police officials, Gandhi came out and said that Sahil was not being allowed to file an FIR for justice. He then staged a sit-in protest outside the premises with Sahil.
He was also joined by his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
In a post on X, Gandhi said that Sahil was severely injured during the police brutality during the Sansad Chalo march.
" Sahil's vision in one eye is now at risk.", the post read.
He added, "Such brutality against a peaceful protest is not just illegal—it's a serious crime. Neither has Home Minister Amit Shah offered any explanation to the students for this cruelty, nor has the Prime Minister apologised to them."
Earlier this week, Gandhi and Akilesh yadav, along with other party members, marched towards PM Modi’s residence at Lok Kalyan for the same cause.
