"If youth are on streets, questions will be asked about bad governance": Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray

Shiv Sena UBT MLA Aaditya Thackeray on Tuesday criticised the police action against protesters demonstrating over the alleged NEETUG paper leak saying that if young people are forced to take to the streets it reflects concerns about governance that the government must answerHis remarks came amid escalating political protests in the national capital following clashes between demonstrators and police during the Cockroach Janta Partys CJP Sansad Chalo march and subsequent protests by Opposition partiesAaditya Thackeray criticises police actionSpeaking to reporters in Mumbai Thackeray said the immediate priority should be the release of detained students and youth who participated in the protestsOur demand was clear The children and youth who have been detained should be released This is for the first time were seeing a peaceful protest while the government is becoming violent he said referring to the police action during the CJPled protest at Jantar Mantar on July 20He alleged that the governments response to peaceful demonstrations had raised serious concernsQuestions will be asked about governanceCommenting on the Oppositions protest near Prime Minister Narendra Modis residence in Delhi Thackeray said public demonstrations by young people reflected dissatisfaction with the governments functioning If the youth of the country are on the streets and the government is beating the youth of the country then questions will be asked Questions will be asked about bad governance Questions will be asked about a government that doesnt know how to work he saidThe Centre and Delhi Police have maintained that action during the protests was taken to enforce prohibitory orders and maintain law and order after demonstrations allegedly turned violentRahul Gandhi accuses government of avoiding debateMeanwhile Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged that the government was unwilling to allow a discussion in Parliament on the events surrounding the July 20 protest marchAddressing a video message Gandhi said he had met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and requested a debate on the issueThis morning I met the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and I told him that we needed to be allowed to debate what happened to the students the day before The speaker said he needed to take permission from the government and it became clear that there was no interest in the government in having a debate We decided to go and protest in front of the Prime Ministers house and bring the students issues to national attention Gandhi saidHe also reiterated the Oppositions demands including the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Union Home Minister Amit Shah withdrawal of cases registered against students and a discussion on the issue in both Houses of ParliamentCongress reiterates demandsCongress leader Pawan Khera said the partys demands remained unchanged and called for the withdrawal of FIRs filed against students and youth participating in the protestsOur demands will not change If PM Modi thinks that he can dictate what demands the Leader of the Opposition should place before him he is under a huge misconception Dharmendra Pradhan must go the FIRs and cases filed against students and the youth must be withdrawn Khera saidThe Congress has also demanded accountability for the alleged NEETUG paper leak and action over the police response to the protestsOpposition leaders detained during protestOn Tuesday several Opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were detained by Delhi Police during a protest near the Prime Ministers residenceCongress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi later reached Mandir Marg Police Station where some detained leaders were taken while another group including Rahul Gandhi was taken to Chhatrasal StadiumThe Congress leaders had marched from Rajaji Marg towards the Prime Ministers residence demanding accountability over the alleged paper leak action against the police crackdown on student protesters and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra PradhanWith inputs from ANI