Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Tuesday said he does not support the use of force to suppress students’ voices, while reacting to the police action during students' protest at Jantar Mantar. Emphasising that students have every right to express their concerns, Paswan said dialogue remains the best way to resolve such issues in a democracy.
Responding to questions on the police action, the Lok Jansakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader said he understands the anger and concerns of students that prompted them to take to the streets. “The way the protest took place yesterday, I respect the sentiments of the students.
It is natural that they would have anger and concerns over these issues, which is why they came out on the streets.” Paswan, however, made it clear that he does not endorse any attempt to silence students through force, stressing that the government should engage with them through meaningful dialogue.
“But at the same time, I am absolutely not in favour of any attempt to suppress the voices of students through force. Dialogue is a beautiful medium, and the government has always kept its doors open for it…” The Union Minister said that public anger often finds expression through peaceful demonstrations and that democratic systems must accommodate such protests.
At the same time, he noted that authorities may sometimes intervene if protests affect law and order, though he reiterated that he does not strongly support the use of force. “Many times, public anger leads people to come out on the streets, and in a democracy, peaceful protest is permitted.
However, if certain limits are crossed or if law and order is affected, sometimes strict steps have to be taken. I do not strongly support such measures…” His remarks come amid criticism over the police action during students’ protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, where students and aspirants had gathered to voice their concerns over examination-related issues and demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged leak of NEET papers. The protest has triggered a political debate, with Opposition leaders accusing the NDA government of suppressing students instead of addressing their grievances.