New Delhi, Jul 26 (IANS): Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remark that India is turning into a police state.

"It is his imagination," he said, adding that agencies are doing their work as per law. Rahul Gandhi has torn his own government's ordinance and termed it "nonsense".

Rahul Gandhi was detained during a protest march carried out by the Congress from Parliament to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. However, as the parliamentarians moved forward to hand over a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu, the Delhi Police stopped them midway near Vijay Chowk.

Soon after being detained by the Delhi Police on Tuesday, Rahul in an apparent reference to the BJP government in Centre, said only truth will end this dictatorship.

"Look at the dictatorship. Cannot hold peaceful demonstrations, cannot discuss inflation and unemployment. By misusing the police and agencies, even by arresting us, you will never be able to silence us. Only 'Truth' will end this dictatorship," he tweeted.

Subsequently, Congress parliamentarians, including Rahul Gandhi, sat in the middle of the road near Parliament, holding placards and raised slogans against the probe agency ED and the Central government.

Later, he, along with several other leaders, was detained by the police and taken to new police lines, Kingsway Police camp in a bus.