New Delhi, 22 July—Mounting pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the opposition today demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan declaring that he is incapable of holding the post anymore and “should be shown the door”.
While Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said that Dharmendra Pradhan is incapable of holding the post anymore and “should be shown the door”, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav said our demands are the same that of the opposition.
Yadav said that Pradhan must first, resign and then a discussion in the two houses of parliament.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, condemned the treatment of protesting students and then asked, “What wrong have our students done to have security forces aiming weapons at them and beating them up?”
Gandhi appeared on stage wearing a black band on his right arm, in line with the Opposition’s all-black appearance in Parliament today as it sought a discussion on the NEET-UG paper leak in House.
Lashing out at the government, Rahul Gandhi defended the students’ outrage over paper leaks. However, there was no mention of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in Gandhi’s speech. The outfit, created as a satire, is now the face of a huge student-led protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and seeks the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan.
Rahul Gandhi said that the education system was rigged and everyone was aware of it. He also claimed that 152 paper leaks have taken place over the past 10 years, which amounts to an average of one leak per month. “What we do know is that 152 paper leaks have taken place over the last decade. If you do the math. So one a month approx,” Gandhi said.
He also claimed that zero convictions have taken place over the decade despite the amount of irregularities in examinations. “7.5 crore students and their families are affected by this. These are middle class and poor families. They put their hard earned money into this and then they literally spat on,” Gandhi said.
He also reiterated and backed the three big demands by students:
- Resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan.
- Everyone who assaulted students must be held accountable.
- PM Modi must apologise to students.
In between, a section of the media tried to project SP leader Yadav’s comment as his distancing with the Congress which he clarified.
While pointing towards the Congress benches and the treasury side, Yadav had said, “The issue is about students, not Congress, BJP or SP. You allowed them to speak… Have they reached an understanding?”
Although, some interpreted the Samajwadi Party leader’s outburst as a rift with Congress, Akhilesh Yadav later highlighted that the INDIA bloc stayed united over its key demands.
“I wanted to put Samajwadi Party’s viewpoint on the students’ issue, so I intervened,” Yadav said, while denying any confrontation with KC Venugopal in the Lok Sabha.
Talking to mediapersons, Akhilesh Yadav also stated that his party was not informed about the Congress’ plan to protest near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence on Tuesday.
It’s true that we were not informed, but when the Congress called, we left all our work, and all the MPs who could attend went…We will improve coordination. It should be better…Imagine how weak the government is if it cannot even secure the resignation of its own ministers and colleagues…At the very least, the government should admit that, yes, a mistake was made,” he said.
Further talking about their demands, he noted, “Our demand, along with that of the opposition, the students, and the youth, is almost the same: first, resignation of Pradhan, followed by a discussion. Their demands should be met. The students and youth have been demanding for days that the paper leak is not limited to a single examination. There have been more than 150 paper leaks across the country, including more than 20 in Uttar Pradesh. Imagine how many students and their families are distressed, suffering, and disappointed because of this…Why not resign inside the House first and then hold a debate?”
He further alleged that when Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and other MPs were protesting near PM Modi’s residence, “our clothes were also pulled and torn.”
“Since when has the police started behaving like this, especially with elected representatives?… The government itself acknowledged that there were irregularities in the NEET-UG examination and conducted a re-examination in some cases. Yet it continues to avoid taking responsibility. We should be allowed to raise our concerns in the House,” he said.
Meanwhile, protesters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) continued their sit-in at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday, with more supporters gathering at the protest site overnight and volunteers receiving food and other supplies sent by sympathisers, as the agitation over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations entered its second month.
n a post on X on Wednesday morning, the CJP claimed that “thousands and thousands of protesters are at Jantar Mantar this morning” and reiterated its demand for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.
Several people sent food to the protest site on Tuesday night as more supporters gathered at Jantar Mantar, where protesters continued their sit-in despite heavy security deployment in the area following Monday’s police crackdown on the CJP’s “Sansad Chalo” march.
CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said the agitation would continue until Pradhan resigns.
Veteran Journalist and Political Commentator
