Karnataka Youth Congress factions clash during NEET protest meeting

Bengaluru: A clash broke out between two rival factions of the Youth Congress during a preparatory meeting held at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office in Bengaluru on Monday, May 18, ahead of the proposed May 21 protest against alleged NEET examination irregularities.

The meeting quickly descended into chaos as workers from both groups engaged in heated arguments, pushing, shoving and near physical assault inside the party premises.

The confrontation reportedly began over the recent removal of Youth Congress vice-president Deepika Reddy from her position following directions from the national leadership. Supporters of Deepika Reddy openly opposed the decision and expressed their anger during the official meeting called to discuss arrangements for the statewide NEET protest.

As the discussion progressed, supporters of Youth Congress president Manjunath Gowda and former vice-president Deepika Reddy started exchanging sharp words. Deepika Reddy’s supporters raised slogans condemning the leadership’s decision and demanded justice for their leader.

The situation escalated when the rival faction objected to the sloganeering and warned them against disrupting the meeting. Within minutes, verbal arguments turned into physical confrontation, with members from both camps allegedly indulging in pushing and jostling inside the KPCC office.

Witnesses said the atmosphere at the party office turned tense as workers from both factions gathered aggressively near the meeting venue. Despite repeated attempts by senior Congress leaders to bring the situation under control, the confrontation intensified for some time, forcing leaders to step in directly to separate the groups.

The clash briefly disrupted the preparatory meeting and created embarrassment for the party leadership, especially at a time when the Youth Congress is gearing up for a major protest over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination.

After prolonged intervention by senior leaders, members of both factions were pacified and the situation was brought under control. However, the incident has once again exposed internal factionalism within the Karnataka Youth Congress unit.