Slogan vs slogan at Parliament entrance as NDA, Opposition hold protests
3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 23, 2026 04:04 PM IST
The Opposition MPs raised slogans against paper leaks as well as the theft of donations at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple. (Special arrangement phot/ Image enhanced using AI)
The face-off between the treasury and Opposition benches, which disrupted proceedings in the two Houses of Parliament over the past three days, spilled over on Thursday, as both sides held demonstrations in the Parliament complex.
While Opposition MPs demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over paper leaks, their counterparts in the NDA criticised the Opposition for not discussing the contentious issue despite the government’s willingness.
The Opposition MPs raised slogans against paper leaks as well as the theft of donations at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple. (Special arrangement photo)
The Centre has said it is ready to discuss the paper leak issue, but the Opposition insists on Pradhan’s resignation. The paper leak issue has come under the spotlight following the massive protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party in Delhi on Monday.
The Opposition protest on Thursday was led by the Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule.
The Opposition MPs raised slogans against paper leaks as well as the theft of donations at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple.
On the other side were NDA MPs – JD(U)’s Sanjay Jha, BJP’s Manoj Tiwari, Tarun Chugh and Dilip Saikia, among others.
There were several moments during the protests when the two sides came face-to-face, raising slogans against each other.
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Speaking to The Indian Express, Congress MP Imran Masood said: “They (NDA MPs) were raising their slogans, and we were raising ours. Our slogans were louder, and we had more conviction.”
Speaking to reporters after the protest, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said: “Have you ever seen in the history of our democracy that the government’s MPs protest outside Parliament? They can’t run Parliament; they are extremely weak and cowardly. What kind of treatment is being meted out to the youth in this democracy? They are being oppressed for legitimate demands; lathis and tear gas are being used on them.”
She asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi, “who takes credit for every Indian’s achievement, isn’t taking responsibility for the paper leaks”. “152 papers have been leaked and no one has been punished. Modi ji should take responsibility for this,” she said.
BJP MP Dilip Saikia said NDA MPs staged a protest against the obstruction “created by the Congress-led Opposition in the running of the Parliamentary proceedings”. “We urge the Congress not to run away and participate in the vital discussions regarding the students of our country in the Parliament,” he said.
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Jatin Anand is an Assistant Editor with the national political bureau of The Indian Express. With over 16 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is a seasoned expert in national governance, electoral politics, and bureaucratic affairs. Having covered high-stakes beats including the Election Commission of India (ECI), intelligence, and urban development, Jatin provides authoritative analysis of the forces shaping Indian democracy. He is an alumnus of Zakir Husain Delhi College (DU) and the prestigious Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai, where he specialized in Print Journalism. Expertise High-Stakes Beat Coverage: Throughout his decade-and-a-half career, Jatin has covered some of the most sensitive and influential beats in the country, including: The Election Commission of India (ECI): Monitoring electoral policy, reforms, and the conduct of national and state polls. National Security & Intelligence: Reporting on the internal mechanisms and developments within India's security apparatus. Urban Development: Analyzing the policies and bureaucratic processes driving the transformation of India’s cities. National Political Bureau: In his current role, he tracks the intersection of policy and politics, offering deep-dive reporting on the Union government and national political movements. Academic Credentials: Zakir Husain Delhi College (DU): Alumnus of one of Delhi's premier institutions. Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai: Specialized in Print Journalism at India's most prestigious journalism school. ... Read More
Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express. During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state. During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute. Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor. Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. ... Read More
- Tags:
- CJP Protest
- Cockroach Janata Party
- Congress
- India Parliament
- Jantar Mantar
- NEET
- opposition
Source: Indian Express
