Protest at Jantar Mantar Gaining Wider Public Support Despite Crackdown, Says Pinarayi Vijayan

Thiruvananthapuram: Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the youth protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar over irregularities in the NEET examination is gaining broader public support as the Central government intensifies its attempts to suppress the agitation. In a Facebook post, he said the protest has continued to gather momentum despite running for several weeks, and alleged that, alongside the police, groups of "goons carrying lathis" were also attacking the protesters.

Pinarayi Vijayan said the agitation, launched by members of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) along with education activist Sonam Wangchuk, had received solidarity from Left student organisations from the very beginning, with these organisations actively participating in the protest. He added that several opposition political parties and Members of Parliament later joined the movement.

According to him, the CPI(M) General Secretary, senior Central leaders, and Left MPs had formed a protective cordon around the protesters to resist police action once.

He also noted that on Tuesday, Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and the Congress leadership extended their support to the protesters. The Opposition has also been attempting to raise the NEET examination irregularities and the ongoing demand for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation in the Lok Sabha, he said.

He further condemned Rahul Gandhi's arrest, stating in his Facebook post that he strongly protested the action taken against the Congress leader.