Unease in BJP, allies over crackdown on protesters as government signals outreach
The Indian government is facing internal and external pressure following a violent crackdown on student protesters demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over NEET exam irregularities. Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, have staged sit-ins at the Prime Minister's residence, prompting the government to initiate emergency outreach and parliamentary discussions.
Why it matters
The protests represent a significant political challenge for the ruling NDA coalition, highlighting growing public dissatisfaction with education governance and the government's handling of civil unrest.
A day after thousands of youths stormed central Delhi as the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led march to Parliament ran into police and security personnel, who used lathi-charge and tear gas shells to push them back, there seemed to be a disquiet among a section of the ruling BJP-led NDA over how this stir was handled, even as the government signalled on Tuesday that it was open to have further talks with the protesters. In an outreach to agitating students, Union Health Minister J P Nadda visited the injured protesters in both the RML and Lady Hardinge hospitals where they were admitted following police crackdown. During the Monday march, taken out by the protesters to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak, Nadda held a meeting with the CJP leaders, which remained inconclusive.
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