A day after the Congress staged a protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence in New Delhi, the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) held a demonstration outside the BJP headquarters in Shimla on Wednesday.

The Congress workers, under the leadership of HPCC president Vinay Kumar, marched to the BJP headquarters, raising slogans against the Prime Minister, Home Minister Amit Shah and the BJP over their handling of the NEET paper leak, the subsequent protests and detention of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi.

The protesters were stopped by the police a few metres ahead of the BJP headquarters. They tried to push their way through, but the police held them back. Around 50 metres away, outside their headquarters, BJP workers staged a counter-protest, raising slogans in support of Modi.

Meanwhile, Congress party leaders alleged that the education system in the country had completely broken down under the BJP and the repetitive paper leaks had put the future of young people at stake.

The HPCC president said the police action against the Gandhis and other Congress MPs amounted to a violation of the democratic rights of elected representatives, which the Congress would never tolerate. “The party’s protest will continue until justice is delivered to the country’s youth and students,” said Kumar.

HPCC General Secretary Vinod Zinta said the Congress was standing firmly with the country’s youth and students, and would not stop its protests until the Union Education Minister tendered his resignation. “First papers are leaked, then students are beaten up mercilessly when they raise their voice against it and demand some accountability. It’s unacceptable and the Congress will not relent until Pradhan goes,” he said.

On the other hand, the BJP criticised the Congress for staging a protest outside its headquarters.

“The Congress is spreading the politics of anarchy. They did it in New Delhi by protesting outside the PM residence and now they are trying to do it in the state,” said Balbir Verma, the BJP MLA from Chopal. Verma urged Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to rein in his party men from spreading anarchy. He warned that if the Congress continued with its ‘aggressive and anarchic’ politics, the BJP would not cede ground.

“They gheroed our headquarters today but we stood our ground. They will find us confronting them every time if they continue with such protests,” said Verma.

The sloganeering and exchange of jibes continued for around half an hour before the Congress decided to end its siege of the BJP headquarters.