Delhi: Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh on Sunday strongly criticised the police action against student protesters in Varanasi, alleging that a peaceful demonstration was met with excessive force in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency. The protest was organised by the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) as part of the nationwide campaign to oppose changes to the rural employment guarantee framework.
Reacting to the incident, Ramesh accused the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh of being intolerant to democratic dissent. In a post on social media, he said students exercising their constitutional right to protest were subjected to a “brutal lathi charge,” calling the administration a “trouble-engine government” that panics when confronted with questions from the public.
According to Ramesh, the NSUI march in Banaras was led by the organisation’s national president Varun Chaudhary and was focused on safeguarding the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). He maintained that the protest was non-violent and democratic but claimed police action turned it into a confrontation. A video shared by Congress leaders appeared to show police personnel detaining and allegedly rough-handling NSUI leaders during the march.
The incident took place amid Congress’s broader agitation against the recently enacted Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, which replaces MGNREGA. The party has argued that the new law weakens employment security for rural households and undermines the legacy of welfare legislation associated with Mahatma Gandhi.
Earlier in the day, Congress leaders and workers held a parallel protest under the banner ‘MGNREGA Bachao Sangram’ at Townhall Park in Varanasi. Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai, along with party cadres, staged a symbolic fast near statues of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr B.R. Ambedkar. Rai alleged that the government was attempting to erase Gandhi’s legacy by dismantling laws linked to his name and philosophy.
Rai further claimed that police presence was used to intimidate protesters and restrict opposition leaders, alleging that some were even prevented from leaving their homes. Despite this, he said Congress workers would continue their agitation to protect the rights of the poor and rural labourers.
Security in Varanasi had been significantly tightened ahead of the NSUI march, with police and paramilitary forces deployed near the Prime Minister’s local outreach office and key routes placed under close watch.
