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    EYE ON INDIA                                                          AUGUST 28, 2026      |  The Indian Eye                    8

                                        PARLIAMENT TO PAVEMENT

             Why Rahul Gandhi is using street-fighting

                                         tactics against the Govt

                  By sitting at a police station for nearly eight hours, Rahul Gandhi turned a demand for

                 an FIR into a larger political confrontation — and reinforced his emerging image as an
                                          opposition leader willing to take the fight to the street

            OUR BUREAU                                                                                            the people of the country expect from
                                                                                                                  him,” arguing that the Leader of the
            NEW DELHI
                                                                                                                  Opposition’s job is “to hold the gov-
                  ahul Gandhi appears to have                                                                     ernment accountable and make the
                  discovered a political language                                                                 government answerable.”
            Rthat suits him increasingly                                                                              Lochav’s own account strength-
            well: confrontation.                                                                                  ened  that  narrative.  “Let’s  meet  to-
                On Friday, the Leader of the Op-                                                                  morrow; I will go and get your FIR
            position in the Lok Sabha walked into                                                                 filed,”  he  quoted  Gandhi  as  telling
            the Parliament Street Police Station                                                                  him after learning that his complaint
            with student protester Sahil Lochav                                                                   had not been registered. Lochav said
            and  several  Congress  leaders.  He                                                                  the  FIR  might  not  have  been  regis-
            stayed there for nearly eight hours,                                                                  tered without Gandhi’s intervention.
            refusing to leave until Delhi Police                                                                      But the BJP sees precisely the
            registered  an  FIR  over  Lochav’s  al-                                                              opposite.  Union  Minister  JP  Nadda
            legation that pellet guns were used                                                                   called the demonstration “cheap, at-
            against him during a July 20 protest.                                                                 tention-seeking politics” and “cam-
                When the FIR was finally regis-                                                                   era-centric drama,” arguing that the
            tered, Gandhi described it as “the first                                                              Supreme Court had already constitut-
            step towards justice.”                                                                                ed a five-member committee to inves-
                “It has been a month since he                                                                     tigate the July 20 incident.
            was hit by that bullet. Pellets are still                                                                 BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad
            lodged in his body; three are in his                                                                  accused Gandhi of “politics of an-
            eye, and he cannot see out of it. Three                                                               archy”, while Giriraj Singh said the
            or  four  are  near  his  heart.  A  grave                                                            Congress leader was attempting to
            injustice has been done to this young                                                                 “take the law into their own hands.”
            man,” Gandhi said.                                                                                        The criticism highlights the polit-
                The episode captures a changing                                                                   ical gamble Gandhi is taking. A street
            Rahul Gandhi. Increasingly, he is not                                                                 protest  can create immediacy and
            content with raising an issue in Parlia-                                                              emotional connection, but opponents
            ment or holding a press conference.                                                                   can portray the same action as theatre.
            He is prepared to physically enter the   Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi and Sahil Lochav show the FIR copy after Delhi Police registered an   Yet Gandhi appears willing to
            arena of confrontation and remain   FIR on Lochav’s complaint as he had suffered pellet gun injuries during the Jantar Mantar students’   take  that  risk.  The  larger  investiga-
            there until he gets a response.                                                                       tion will determine what actually
                That is the street-fighter side of   protest, in New Delhi on Friday. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi also present (@INCIndia X/ANI Photo)  happened during the July 20 protest.
            Gandhi. “We have been here all this                                                                   The Supreme Court has appointed a
            time — it is now nearly a quarter to   too, but the brakes on justice were be-  being  registered.  Congress  leader   five-member  High-Powered  Expert
            seven — and only now has the FIR   ing applied from the top,” Gandhi said.  Supriya Shrinate was even more em-  Committee to examine allegations
            been  filed,”  he  said,  questioning   The  Congress  immediately  phatic:  “Jhukti  hai  duniya,  jhukane   of excessive force by police and vio-
            why a process that should have been   turned the protest into a symbol of   wala chahiye.”            lence by protesters, including claims
            straightforward had taken so long.  resistance.                         The symbolism matters for Gandhi.  concerning the treatment of women
                Gandhi went further, alleging that   Congress president Mallikarjun   For much of his political career,   protesters.
            the  delay  was  coming  from  the  top.   Kharge asked, “What exactly is Amit   he was portrayed by opponents as a   Politically,  however,  Gandhi
                “The  final  approval  —  the  ulti-  Shah  hiding?”  He  alleged  that  the   politician who lacked the aggression   seems to have already made his point.
            mate ‘okay’ — had to come from the   government had failed to explain who   and staying power necessary for In-  In doing so, Rahul Gandhi is slowly
            Home Secretary and Amit Shah him-  ordered the alleged use of pellet guns   dia’s  rough-and-tumble  politics.  His   building a new political identity — not
            self. Only then was the FIR finally is-  against students.          latest actions suggest that he is con-  simply as Parliament’s leading critic
            sued. So, you can understand who was   Jairam Ramesh called it a victory   sciously trying to shed that image.  of the government, but as a politician
            holding up the FIR,” he alleged.  for persistence, saying it was Gandhi’s   His supporters see the change   prepared to take the battle outside
                “These police officers wanted to   “sheer persistence and perseverance”   as political maturity. Omar Abdullah   Parliament and stand with those who
            register it; the others wanted to do it   during his dharna that led to the FIR   said Gandhi was “doing exactly what   believe the system has failed them.

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