New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday slammed the Congress for holding protests rather than engaging in discussion in Parliament when the House is in session, even as the BJP held demonstrations outside Congress offices in states in response to Rahul Gandhi-led sit-in outside the prime minister’s residence.
In a post on X, Singh said the government has expressed willingness to hold debates on every issue, but the Opposition is “attempting to use the students and youth as political tools to serve their own political interests”.
“The ongoing protests in Delhi are a matter of serious concern. It is extremely unfortunate that some individuals are attempting to use the students and youth of our country as political tools to serve their own political interests. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our government is fully committed to fulfilling the aspirations of students and the youth, and ensuring their welfare,” Singh said in his post in Hindi.
The statements came a day after Union minister JP Nadda met a delegation of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), and urged those protesting at the Jantar Mantar to call off their stir and help the administration restore normalcy.
दिल्ली में जारी विरोध-प्रदर्शन गंभीर चिंता का विषय हैं। यह अत्यंत दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण है कि हमारे देश के छात्रों और युवाओं को कुछ लोग अपने राजनीतिक स्वार्थों की पूर्ति के लिए एक राजनीतिक औज़ार के रूप में इस्तेमाल करने का प्रयास कर रहे हैं। प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi के नेतृत्व… pic.twitter.com/yIQLUiw8xc
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 22, 2026
Singh said it is the government’s responsibility to listen to and address every concern raised by the protesting students.
Targeting the Opposition for their attack on the government over the NEET paper leak and police action on the protesters, Singh said he is sure that “India’s aware, mature, and discerning youth clearly understand such misleading attempts and will choose the path of progress, development, and nation-building”.
“We are committed to ensuring that no injustice is done to anyone, especially our students and youth. The ‘manufactured sense of anger’ created by certain opposition leaders is merely a failed attempt to confuse and mislead the public, particularly our children and youth,” he added.
Singh said the government is deeply sensitive to the sentiments and concerns of the youths.
“However, the opposition is making an inappropriate attempt to resolve issues on the streets rather than in Parliament. In a democracy, Parliament is the appropriate forum for discussing issues, and the Opposition is free to voice its views there. Therefore, if the Opposition is serious, it should not disrupt the smooth functioning of the ongoing Monsoon Session but instead draw the nation’s attention to all issues within the Parliament itself,” he added.
Also Read: ‘Most anti-youth PM in India’s history’: Rahul says Modi govt has turned against country’s youth
BJP protests
Meanwhile, the BJP carried out demonstrations in several states in response to an unannounced Congress-led sit-in outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence Tuesday evening. After almost three hours of stand-off on the VVIP 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, Opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav were removed by the Delhi Police.
The Congress leadership Tuesday also announced an overnight dharna demanding accountability for issues ailing the country’s education system, the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and action against those responsible for the police crackdown on the protesters during the Cockroach Janta Party-led students’ march to Parliament on Monday.
Against this, various BJP state units carried out protests and dharnas outside Congress’ offices on Wednesday.
BJP workers held such a protest outside the Congress office In Bhopal. In the Congress-ruled Telangana, BJP state president N Ramachander Rao and other party leaders marched out of their Nampally office, planning to protest at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad, but police stopped them and took them into custody.
In Ahmedabad, the BJP staged a protest outside the Congress office amid heavy police security.
BJP cadres also protested before the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office in Bengaluru against the Congress protest. Similarly, in Andhra Pradesh BJP workers staged a protest in Vijayawada, condemning the Congress party’s demonstration held near the PM’s official residence in Delhi.
Confirming the demonstrations carried out by several BJP units across the country, national spokesperson of the BJP, RP Singh said Rahul Gandhi was merely trying to create anarchy and chaos, which is not acceptable”.
“Rahul Gandhi tried to create anarchy by holding protests outside the PM’s residence. It is simply not acceptable. He also called people to join him there in large numbers. You can’t play with the security of the PM of the country, what if some Congress worker would have done some mischief then who would have been responsible for this,” he asked.
Singh further said the Congress “seems to be in competition with the CJP” and is now trying to get some limelight using the protest.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)