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Shabana Azmi, Prakash Raj sit in truck with CJP protesters; Kangana, Hema Malini back govt
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Updated: Jul 28, 2026 06:00 PM IST Priyanka Gandhi Vadra speaks in the Lok Sabha during Monsoon Session of the Parliament (Sansad TV screengrab)Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra spewed fire in Parliament two days after the CJP-led protest forced Dharmendhra Pradhan to resign from his Union Education Minister post. Asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah whether students are terrorists, Gandhi criticised them over the usage of teargas, lathi-charge, pellet guns, AK-47 by security forces to dispel protesters. Modi believed he could overcome crisis through PR In vieled remarks over Modi’s recent Instagram reels addressing the protesters, Gandhi claimed “Prime Minister and his friends” believed they could overcome the crisis through public relations, narrative-building and what she described as “pliant” media.In fierce remarks against the Centre, Gandhi said, “What was the need to use tear gas on those students, to lathicharge them, and to use water cannons against them? What was the need to humiliate those young women, tear their clothes, and treat them in such a brutal and inhuman manner? What was the need to use pellet guns and AK-47s against the youth of this country? Were they terrorists?…Yes, the Congress is asking this… Answer us… The Congress is asking; we want answers. Who will answer? Will the Home Minister answer? Who gave the order? Who gave the order to use pellet guns? Through you, Honourable Speaker, I ask: who gave that order? Did the Prime Minister give it? Did the Home Minister give it? Will they answer?…” Pradhan welcomed as a superstar Gandhi said it was “shameful” that BJP MPs welcomed Dharmendra Pradhan at the Parliament premises “as if he were a superstar”. Pradhan was welcomed at the Parliament by BJP MPs with a traditional cap and stole, and shouting “Pradhan Zindabad” while Opposition MPs raised slogans such as “Chor, chor, paper chor”. Gandhi said, “Don’t you think it is shameful? Everyone saw the circumstances under which Dharmendra Pradhan resigned, but yesterday in the Parliament premises, he was welcomed as if he were a superstar!” Pradhan resigned on July 25 as CJP outfit and student protesters continued their agitation relentlessly for over a month and remained firm on their demands. “No one can trust the Modi government, because even today, students are being harassed. I saw some Instagram handles with photographs of women alleging that they did such and such thing…Do you want to engage in talks to resolve this matter or you are still after the students, wanting to suppress them? This is wrong,” the Congress general secretary said. ‘Why inflict such oppression on an innocent girl’ Echoing her sentiments on the plight of a protester, who was battling for her life in the ICU in a Delhi hospital after being injured in a police lathicharge, Gandhi asked Modi and Shah: what was the need to inflict such oppression on an innocent girl.Story continues below this ad Elaborating about her visit to the hospital and how the injured protester’s mother was impacted by the frequent visits by politicians, Gandhi said, “… A few days ago, we went to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital to enquire about the condition of the Delhi student who was battling for her life in the ICU after being injured in a police lathicharge. A short while before we reached there, Union Health Minister JP Nadda had visited her, and shortly before him, another leader had also visited. By the time we arrived, the girl’s mother was upset with the repeated visits by politicians…When we reached there, the girl’s mother, standing outside the ICU door, asked us, ‘Why have you come?’ With folded hands and trembling hands, she said, ‘Thank you for coming, but I do not want to meet anyone. I do not want to speak to anyone.’…The pain of that mother was such that her entire body was trembling. But with a voice full of anguish, she said, ‘Since morning, many big leaders have been coming here one after another, making vid
(Clockwise) Veteran actors Shabana Azmi and Prakash Raj with CJP protesters in New Delhi; BJP MPs Hema Malini and Kangana Ranaut at the Parliament. (Credit: Instagram/@azmishabana18, ANI)Shabana Azmi is one of the few film industry celebrities who has been supporting the protest launched by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG question paper leak earlier this year. However, unlike many others, she did not limit her solidarity to social media alone and has been with the protesters on the ground. On Monday, July 20, she joined thousands of citizens in their Chalo Sansad March towards Parliament. Later in the day, she shared a post on social media showing herself and veteran actor Prakash Raj in a truck with the protesters. Expressing elation at the government’s reported agreement to “have a dialogue finally,” Shabana reiterated that it is a “peaceful protest,” refuting allegations to the contrary.Check Out | Prakash Raj addresses CJP protesters, waves Indian Constitution She also shared a video of herself walking through a large crowd of protesters. Shabana wrote, “Climbing up with the help of young colleagues to the protest site at Jantar Mantar to demand reforms within our educational system and an overhaul of the entire system. Allocate 6 per cent of GDP to education, public health and women’s empowerment to measure the success of our country.” Kaifi Azmi’s verses echo at Jantar Mantar Alongside, Shabana Azmi also shared a couple of videos of herself reciting poems by her father, Kaifi Azmi, noting that those verses reflect the cost of speaking the truth. “It acknowledges that standing for truth may lead to persecution or even death (the gallows and the noose), but then asks a deeper question: What happens after that? Depending on interpretation, it can suggest that truth outlives oppression, that martyrdom is not the end, or that those who wield punishment cannot ultimately silence the truth.” During a conversation with PTI, she asserted that the protesters had no intention of resorting to violence. “We are here to hold a peaceful protest. This is a right guaranteed by our Constitution. Mahatma Gandhi taught us the path of non-violence. We have no intention of resorting to violence,” the acting legend noted. Shabana Azmi responds to Bollywood’s ‘silence’ When asked why many of her Bollywood colleagues were silent on the matter, she said, “You are only worried about the fact that Bollywood celebrities are not present at the March. You don’t worry about the absence of industrialists and all the businessmen. When you ask these questions, you are sidelining the cause and creating unnecessary controversy. You should support those who are marching for this cause, rather than diluting the matter.” While addressing the gathering, she maintained, “I wrote a letter to the Prime Minister. Javed saab (her husband and legendary screenwriter-lyricist Javed Akhtar) also wrote a letter saying, ‘Please just initiate a dialogue. We are not going to the press. We won’t turn this into a public issue. As a former member of the Rajya Sabha, I’m making this request in that capacity. At least hear us out.'” Prakash Raj slams ‘silent’ film industry celebrities However, actor Prakash Raj tore into Tinseltown celebrities for their purported silence during the ongoing protests. “People who speak, the world is watching… who will stand by the people. Simple,” he told PeekTV. He added, “It is not the question of being happy. Now you know who is what. Such movements show who has integrity and who will stand for the people. Who am I to say? I can talk to myself. People have great voices, great actors… I wish they used it for this. They have not, people will judge! When history is written tomorrow, they may forgive those who might have made the mistake, but they will never forgive those who were silent.” Kangana Ranaut, Hema Mali
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