Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday led a protest march involving over 100 party leaders to Rashtrapati Bhavan. The party submitted a memorandum to President Pranab Mukherjee, expressing concern over the "growing atmosphere of fear and intolerance in the country". The Congress also expressed "deep regret" for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the matter and for not taking any action against his ministers who "continue to harbour individuals who are contributing heavily to spreading hate and divisiveness", reported ANI.

Sonia Gandhi said, "The president has given his assurance and has previously voiced concerns, but the PM is still silent, which is a form of endorsement." Rahul Gandhi added, "This government's inherent ideology doesn't believe in being tolerant. Large numbers of people have made it very clear that they are unhappy with the way this government views this country."

The Bharatiya Janata Party had earlier sought to link the Congress's protest march with the probe into controversial land deals concerning Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra. The party claimed that the Congress started the "farce of a protest" in reaction to the investigation "reaching the doorsteps" of the Gandhi family. Dozens of Sikh protesters had also threatened to disrupt the Congress's march, by protesting against the party for the 1984 riots, in which thousands of Sikhs were killed.