John Brittas, PM Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi
NEW DELHI: Opposition rebuffed PM Narendra Modi’s late-night video and proposed law on fast-track courts for paper leaks, as it reiterated that education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation is a must for restoration of normalcy in Parliament. The aggressive stance has put a question mark on if introduction of the new bill in Parliament Monday would bring the opposition bloc back to proceedings after a week of washout.The hostile tone was set late last night when Rahul Gandhi reacted to Modi’s video statement, saying students are demanding Pradhan’s resignation and “don’t insult their intelligence with this pathetic midnight video”. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said opposition is ready for a “detailed discussion on the education system” after Pradhan’s resignation.TMC MP Sagarika Ghose mocked Modi’s video as “an oh-so-imperious PM who has contempt for India’s public…forced to mumble something in a midnight Insta reel. Sadly, too little, too late”.The anti-BJP parties will meet Monday morning to take a final stand on the issue, but a flurry of statements from opposition leaders Friday suggested that they are unlikely to relent.CPM MP John Brittas said the opposition is united that the minister’s resignation has to precede any other business. Asked if blocking the bill would not be politically risky, Brittas said the main issue is not the legislation but the intent of govt which is not coming through in its actions. “The govt resolve for students’ cause is lacking,” he said.There is likely to be more drama as TMC chief Mamata Banerjee will Monday visit the protesters at Jantar Mantar.Senior members of the bloc said they are not bothered about the legislation which is “irrelevant” to the debate, even though they cannot oppose it for the simple reason that it is propagated as targeting the ‘paper leak’ menace. That has raised a strong possibility of the opposition intensifying its protests to force a washout. Leader of a minor INDIA constituent said BJP will try to project any disturbance that blocks the bill as opposition working against the reforms.Congress accused the govt of hyping the fast-track court bill as a pioneering move when these courts can be set up under existing laws. “It is an attempt to show responsiveness when there is none,” AICC spokesman Jairam Ramesh said.Ramesh said Fast Track Courts only work when investigations are time-bound and there is a political will to see the investigations through. In contrast, he said the Modi govt over 12 years chose to deny paper leaks, like in 2026 and 2024. He said the govt called Sanjeev Mukhiya the ‘kingpin’ of the 2024 leak, but the CBI is now calling him innocent.
