- Rahul Gandhi criticised PM for avoiding Pradhan’s resignation.
- PM Modi announced new legislation targeting examination paper leaks.
- CJP also demanded Education Minister Pradhan’s removal over irregularities.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday night criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for avoiding the issue of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation in a video message released shortly before midnight.
In a post on X, the leader of the opposition said the prime minister should not undermine the concerns of students protesting over the NEET examination paper leak. Gandhi asserted that students were demanding Pradhan’s resignation and urged the government to act instead of issuing what he described as a “pathetic midnight video.”
“Mr Modi, our students are demanding Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. Don’t insult their intelligence with this pathetic midnight video. 1. Sack Pradhan. 2. Punish those who beat students. 3. Apologise,” Gandhi wrote on the social media platform.
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PM Modi Announces Paper Leak Legislation
Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Modi announced that the government would introduce a Bill in Parliament next week providing for stringent action against examination paper leaks.
In his video message, Modi said the proposed legislation would first be discussed at Friday’s Union Cabinet meeting, where its provisions would be finalised after consultations with cabinet colleagues. He added that the issue of paper leaks would be taken up during the meeting before the government moved ahead with the legislation.
The prime minister said the Bill would be introduced on Monday, when the second week of the Monsoon session of Parliament begins, and that the government would seek its passage at the earliest.
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CJP Also Seeks Pradhan’s Removal
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) also questioned the government’s response, arguing that the strongest possible action against examination irregularities would be the removal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Responding to the prime minister’s announcement, CJP national spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka said, “Modi ji, remove Dharmendra Pradhan tomorrow. That’s the strictest action you can take.”
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke also reacted on X by posting an image of a man locking the gate of a compound without boundary walls, in an apparent criticism of the proposed legislation.
