New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday renewed his demand for the removal of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, blaming him for the alleged NEET paper leak and the wider problems in the country’s examination system.
Speaking at a press conference, Gandhi said the minister should be dismissed, claiming he was responsible for repeated exam irregularities that had affected thousands of students. He also urged the government to take action against those responsible for the police action on students protesting at Jantar Mantar.
Gandhi called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologise to students and their families, saying they had suffered because of examination failures. He listed three demands from the protesters: the dismissal of the education minister, action against those involved in the alleged use of pellet guns and lathi-charge on protesters, and an apology from the prime minister.
During the press conference, Gandhi introduced a protester whom he claimed had suffered an eye injury after being hit by a pellet during the demonstration. He alleged that the student was peacefully holding the Indian Tricolour when he was injured. Gandhi also accused the government of denying that pellet guns had been used.
The Centre recently held talks with representatives of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over the protests and said their demands would be considered. The government has also announced fast-track courts to hear paper leak cases.
