Delhi Protests: A political slugfest broke out within the Opposition on Tuesday after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) targeted Rahul Gandhi’s protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official residence
and accused the grand old party of weakening the ongoing Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) agitation and acting in tandem with the BJP.
The row began after Rahul Gandhi, accompanied by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other senior leaders, staged a dharna near the Prime Minister’s Lok Kalyan Marg residence, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over police action against students protesting the alleged NEET paper leak.
What AAP Leaders Said?
AAP leaders alleged that while the Centre had not engaged with Sonam Wangchuk and the CJP during their weeks-long protest at Jantar Mantar, it responded quickly to the Congress protest by sending Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh to meet Rahul Gandhi.
Senior AAP leader Atishi described the Congress protest as a “jugalbandi” with the BJP. She questioned how Rahul Gandhi was “allowed” to stage a dharna outside the Prime Minister’s residence while, she claimed, the Centre had refused to engage with CJP supporters despite their month-long protest.
“Also very interesting: the same Delhi Police that was not allowing CJP to move even 100 metres towards Parliament, allowed Rahul Gandhi to reach right outside PM Residence! Do we need any more evidence that Congress-BJP is one unit?” she said in a post on X.
Also very interesting: the same Delhi Police that was not allowing CJP to move even 100 metres towards Parliament, allowed Rahul Gandhi to reach right outside PM Residence!
Do we need any more evidence that Congress-BJP is one unit? #BJPCongressEkHain https://t.co/G7z9S7EI4q
— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) July 21, 2026
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh also accused Rahul Gandhi of weakening the students’ movement, claiming the Congress was diverting people away from the Jantar Mantar protest.
“The Congress has been abusing the movement for a month; now @RahulGandhi ji is saying, “Don’t come to Jantar Mantar, join our dharna.” Why does the Congress want to weaken the youth’s movement? Why doesn’t the Congress appeal to join the Jantar Mantar movement?” he said.
देश के करोड़ों युवाओं के लिए @Wangchuk66 जी पिछले 23 दिनों से आमरण अनशन पर हैं।
जंतर मंतर पर देश का युवा आंदोलन कर रहा है।
20 जुलाई को युवाओं को बर्बरता पूर्वक पीटा गया।
कॉंग्रेस एक महीने से आंदोलन को गाली दे रही है, अब @RahulGandhi जी कह रहे है “जंतर मंतर नहीं हमारे धरने में… pic.twitter.com/NNjoZJEFTr— Sanjay Singh AAP (@SanjayAzadSln) July 21, 2026
Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj echoed the charge, alleging that Congress leaders and their supporters had been attempting to weaken the CJP movement from the beginning.
Opposition Reacts
The remarks drew sharp reactions from other Opposition leaders. Trinamool Congress MP Kirti Azad criticised Sanjay Singh’s comments, saying, “This was not expected from you… You have shamed our friendship.”
ये उम्मीद नहीं थी आपसे @SanjayAzadSln !!!
हमारी दोस्ती शर्मसार कर दी आपने॥ https://t.co/Mmp0EOaMLM— Kirti Azad (@KirtiAzaad) July 21, 2026
Congress leader Srinivas BV also targeted Singh, asking, “Why are you fuming? Did Malviya write this tweet or Chadha?” in an apparent reference to BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya and AAP MP Raghav Chadha.
Congress MP Jebi Mather demanded an apology from Sanjay Singh, saying his remarks were “against the spirit of the Opposition.” She said the Congress had stood by Singh during his suspension from Parliament and accused the AAP of undermining opposition unity while the Congress was fighting the BJP over the students’ issue.
#WATCH | Delhi: On AAP MP Sanjay Singh’s statement, Congress MP Jebi Mather says, “I saw his tweet, and they should apologise. Sanjay Singh should also understand it was the Congress Party when he was suspended… It was the Congress Party who was with him… This kind of tweet,… pic.twitter.com/ikS2BbHDOM
— ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2026
BJP Takes A Dig
The BJP also joined the exchange, with IT cell chief Amit Malviya alleging that the protests had become a contest between opposition parties for political relevance. He claimed neither the Congress nor the AAP genuinely represented students and accused both parties of politicising the agitation.
What’s Happeneing In Delhi?
The protests were triggered by allegations of irregularities in the examination and recruitment systems, with students demanding greater accountability and reforms in the education sector. Protesters are also seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak row.
It intensified on Tuesday, with senior Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, leading a protest march to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in New Delhi.
The Congress leaders were joined by several opposition figures, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, as they demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Modi and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the handling of the controversy.
The detention of Rahul Gandhi and several Opposition MPs has since widened the confrontation, turning the student-led agitation into a broader political battle between the Opposition and the BJP-led Centre.
Meanwhile, thousands of protesters regrouped at Jantar Mantar—the main protest site of the CJP — a day after police used force to disperse demonstrators marching towards Parliament.
The protests, joined by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, began in late June, with demonstrators seeking accountability over the alleged paper leak and demanding Pradhan’s resignation.
Wangchuk, who had been on an indefinite hunger strike, was removed from the protest site by the Delhi Police last week and admitted to Safdarjung Hospital. On Tuesday, he was discharged from the government hospital and shifted to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram following directions from the Delhi High Court.
