Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party for according a grand welcome to former union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan in the Parliament and said that he will always be a ‘symbol of corruption’ and ‘India’s ruined education system.’
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“The BJP should make it clear whether, despite the paper leaks, the crumbling education system, the lathi charges on students, and the firing of pellet guns, Pradhan’s work was commendable?” he wrote on X.
Rajya Sabha member Pwan Khera also trained guns at the BJP and said ‘a corrupt, incompetent former minister was given a hero’s welcome by his own ilk.’
“Imagine their audacity, their mediocrity and their sheer insensitivity towards the 26 students who have died by suicide in the past few months.” Khera wrote on X.
Pradhan had come under fire after NEET exam paper leak and other recent examination-related irregularities. The calls for his resignation became a central demand of the youth-led protests, led by the Cockroach Janta Party, across the country.
Pralhad Joshi has now been handed the education ministry’s charge. Joshi already holds the Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution & New and Renewable Energy portfolios.
Following Pradhan’s resignation, the Centre also introduced the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill in Parliament, aimed at strengthening measures to curb paper leaks and examination malpractices on Monday.
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Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, alleged that felicitating Pradhan in Parliament amounted to celebrating the destruction of the future of lakhs of students.
“Dharmendra Pradhan is, and will always remain, the symbol of corruption and India’s ruined education system. It is that very system that took the lives of 26 children and forced lakhs of youth onto the streets. His resignation did not come out of morality – it was forced out of fear of the youth’s rage. And today, the BJP is garlanding that same person inside Parliament. This is not an honour–it is a celebration of ruining the futures of lakhs of children. Every student in the country is watching this. And they will remember every face involved in this,” he wrote in a post on X.
Gandhi’s remarks came after Pradhan received a rousing welcome at Parliament on Monday morning as he made his first public appearance since announcing resignation as education minister. As Pradhan stepped down from his car at the Parliament premises, he greeted the media. Several NDA MPs circled him and raised “Dharmendra Pradhan zindabad” slogans.
Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury also slammed the BJP for welcoming Pradhan and said that he is being made ‘hero from zero’. “These people had also welcomed Bilkis Bano’s convicts by garlanding them,” Chowdhury said.
Congress’ Jairam Ramesh also attacked the BJP for Pradhan’s Parliament welcome and termed it ‘a grave insult to the country’s youth.’
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He wrote in his resignation letter that he was resigning for the sake of students and their future. However, several BJP MPs later hailed him as a big education reformer and highlighted his contributions during his tenure in the union cabinet.
“…To ensure that anti-national elements are not benefitted by the situation at Jantar Mantar and across the country, that the nation remains united, students in India do not get tangled in legal complexities and focus on their studies and their career, I have tendered my resignation to the Prime Minister…,” the letter read.
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The resignation and the introduction of the amendment bill followed weeks of nationwide protests by students demanding accountability and reforms in the examination system. While the Centre has announced a series of measures to address the issue, Opposition parties have continued to press the government over the handling of the protests, alleged police action against students, and accountability over the examination controversy.
