Updated on: 22 Jul 2026
BENGALURU: The Karnataka BJP on Wednesday staged a counter-protest march towards the Congress office in Bengaluru, opposing the ruling party’s demonstration over the alleged NEET examination irregularities and accusing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of politicising the issue.
Earlier in the day, Congress workers protested outside the BJP state headquarters in Malleshwaram, demanding the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged irregularities in the NEET examination.
The protest was organised in support of the students’ agitation led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) in New Delhi, in line with the Congress high command’s stand on the issue.
As BJP leaders and workers attempted to march towards the Congress office, police stopped them and took several into preventive custody before they could reach the venue.
Addressing reporters, Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R. Ashoka alleged that Rahul Gandhi was trying to gain political mileage despite several arrests already having been made in connection with the NEET question paper leak case.
Condemning the Congress for backing the CJP protest, Ashoka alleged that Gandhi’s demonstration outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence in New Delhi amounted to “seditious activities.”
He further claimed that supporting those allegedly involved in acts of treachery was itself an act of sedition and accused Gandhi of doing exactly that.
Ashoka also referred to the June 4, 2025 stampede outside Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebrations, in which 11 people lost their lives, questioning why Gandhi had remained silent on the tragedy.
He also asked why the Congress leader had not reacted to the police lathi charge on government job aspirants in Hubballi last year.
Meanwhile, BJP MLA B.P. Harish, who managed to reach near the Congress office on Queens Road during the protest, was allegedly attacked with eggs by Congress workers.
