New Delhi: A day after youngsters who responded to the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s Sansad Chalo March were met with brute force by the Delhi police, leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday (July 21) took the call for accountability to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s doorstep by staging a sit-in protest demanding his resignation.From Gandhi, other Congress MPs and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s detention from outside Modi’s residence; to Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal’s visits to police stations to seek the release of protesters who had been detained; and to Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray’s visit to Jantar Mantar – the day saw high drama as the opposition took to the streets, demanding accountability from the government while expressing their solidarity with the protesters who were met with Delhi police’s heavy hand on Monday.The Congress, which had stayed away from the CJP’s protest at Jantar Mantar until last week when it sent its leaders to meet the hunger-striking climate activist and educationist Sonam Wangchuk, sought to reclaim the opposition space and forge unity with other parties to rally behind the cause of the brutalised students.However, chinks in the opposition’s armour showed as the AAP trained its guns on Gandhi, accusing him of acting on Modi’s behest.CJP के धरने को कमजोर करने के लिए मोदी जी ने @RahulGandhi को अपने आवास पर धरने पर बिठा दिया।— Sanjay Singh AAP (@SanjayAzadSln) July 21, 2026Tuesday saw parliament being adjourned repeatedly as the opposition demanded a discussion on the protest as well as the NEET paper leaks. Gandhi and other opposition leaders of the INDIA bloc, including the Left parties, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Samajwadi Party, met Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla demanding a discussion on the police action and on the NEET leaks.But Gandhi alleged that Birla told the opposition members he would have to take the government’s “permission” for a discussion. Addressing reporters outside parliament, the LoP then turned the heat on Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah and demanded their resignations.“Dharmendra Pradhan is an intermediary, absolutely he should resign. But Dharmendra Pradhan hasn’t beaten up these students. The home minister [Shah] has; he should resign. And the home minister reports to the prime minister, he should resign. What is going on?” said Gandhi.Less than two hours later, Gandhi along with Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi and other Congress MPs undertook a foot-march to Modi’s residence on 7 Lok Kalyan Marg. Congress MPs including party president and Rajya Sabha leader of opposition Mallikarjun Kharge staged a sit-in protest demanding Modi’s resignation.While the protest lasted for about two hours, the government sent Jitendra Singh, minister of state for the prime minister’s office, to speak to the leader of opposition. A short while after Singh – who was accompanied by home secretary Govind Mohan – left the scene, Gandhi and Congress MPs were joined by NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule and Samajwadi Party chief Yadav.“In view of the dignity of this senior delegation, the government sent me personally, along with the Union Home Secretary, Shri Govind Mohan, to the spot to hold talks with these senior leaders,” said Singh in a statement.Singh said that while the government had agreed to Gandhi’s demand for a discussion on NEET and the protests in parliament, the LoP changed his demands and said he wanted Pradhan’s resignation.“A request was made to Shri Rahul Gandhi to end his sit-in, as this site is not meant for protests, and holding a sit-in here is causing considerable inconvenience to the general public. Shri Rahul Gandhi put forward the demand that if the government agrees to discuss in Parliament all issues related to NEET and the associated movement, he would immediately end his sit-in. Within a few moments, after taking permission from the government’s top leadership, Shri Rahul Gandhi was assured that his demand has been accepted, and the government is ready to discuss in Parliament all issues related to NEET and the associated movement.“When this information was conveyed to Shri Rahul Gandhi, he said that he would not agree to this alone but also sought assurance for the resignation of the Union Education Minister. He said that now I have two demands: discussion in Parliament and the resignation of the Union Education Minister,” wrote Singh.Singh said that for a senior leader like Gandhi to “go back on his word is unfortunate and contrary to every norm of democracy”.Within minutes of Singh leaving, Delhi police personnel started picking up Congress leaders and MPs as images surfaced of Gandhi being roughed up.मोदी जी, हर ज़ोर आज़मा लो, सारी ताकत लगा लो – छात्रों के इंसाफ की ये लड़ाई अब रोके न रुकेगी। pic.twitter.com/suXh8LkWzh— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 21, 2026Gandhi along with Priyanka Gandhi, Yadav and other MPs were put into Delhi police buses and detained. While Gandhi was taken to the Chhatrasal Stadium and detained, Priyanka Gandhi was taken to the Mandir Marg police station, while other MPs were taken to Kingsway.Congress MP Sonia Gandhi too reached the Mandir Marg police station where some of the party’s legislators were detained.CPP चेयरपर्सन श्रीमती सोनिया गांधी जी मंदिर मार्ग पुलिस स्टेशन पहुंची हैं।दिल्ली पुलिस ने यहां कांग्रेस महासचिव श्रीमती @priyankagandhi जी और कांग्रेस के नेताओं को हिरासत में लेकर रखा है।📍 दिल्ली pic.twitter.com/PZSGm67elK— Congress (@INCIndia) July 21, 2026The leaders were released after 10 pm as Congress workers and Samajwadi Party workers reached the Chhatrasal Stadium.“The speaker said he needed to take permission from the government, and it became clear that there was no interest within the government in having a debate. We decided to go and protest in front of the prime minister’s house and bring the students’ issues to national attention,” said Gandhi in a video message recorded at the Chhatrasal Stadium.Gandhi said that their demands included Pradhan and Shah’s resignations, and action against those who beat up the students.“The students’ demands are, firstly, the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan and home minister Amit Shah. Secondly, action should be taken against those who have beaten and humiliated the students, and all the cases against the students should be withdrawn. Finally, the entire opposition wants that there should be a debate on this tomorrow in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha,” he said.“The government’s responsibility is to issue a statement. Those whose children who died by suicides due to NEET paper leaks, we couldn’t even pay tribute to them in parliament,” said Yadav. “The opposition will continue to struggle in this manner relentlessly and will speak for the youth, the young people and the students.”Earlier in the day, Yadav along with his wife and Lok Sabha MP Dimple Yadav also met the All India Students Association leaders Neha, Danish, Manish and Anjali, who had undertaken a 23-day hunger strike that ended on Monday.Former Delhi chief minister Kejriwal on the other hand visited the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital where injured students were hospitalised, as well as the Mandir Marg and Parliament Street police stations to seek the release of the students who had been detained.“This morning, we launched a helpline, and since then, I have personally helped get around 70-80 students released by visiting police stations. Many students who were reported missing were found after we informed the police; some were in one jail, while others were in different locations. I want to tell all students: do not lose courage,” he said.Later he addressed the crowd gathered at Jantar Mantar, saying that Modi has called the protesting students terrorists while himself being the “biggest terrorist”. He also called for the PM’s resignation.“Modi says they are anti-national … I want to say Modi is the biggest anti-national. Children are the future of the nation. You cannot handle a NEET paper, how will you run the country? I think it is not Dharmendra Pradhan, it is Modi who should resign,” he said.While NCP (SP) chief Pawar had also visited Jantar Mantar in the day, later on Tuesday night Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Thackeray too visited the protest site.“I have not come here to make a speech, but to bow down in front of youth power,” said Thackeray.“This spark is not going to go off, which has been lit by Abhijit [Dipke, founder of the CJP]. Probably for the first time after independence we are seeing a government doing a lathi-charge on the future of the country,” he said.