MPs of NDA and INDIA alliance came face to face on the NEET paper leak issue in the Parliament complex. Both sides raised slogans against each other. The opposition is demanding the resignation of the Education Minister, while the ruling party wants a debate.
New Delhi [भारत]July 23 (ANI): A direct confrontation broke out between the NDA and INDIA block MPs in the Parliament complex on Thursday when both the parties protested together at Makar Dwar over different issues. While opposition members protested against Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the NEET paper leak controversy, NDA MPs protested against the opposition’s adamant stance of not discussing the issue in Parliament and accused them of spreading fake news.
Tension escalated when CPI(M) MP John Brittas was seen pulling a poster from the hands of BJP leader Arun Singh. MPs from both camps came face to face, following which Parliament security personnel intervened and formed a human chain to keep the two groups apart. During this confrontation, sloganeering also took place between Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and BJP leaders.
‘Congress is running away from debate’- BJP
Speaking on the clash, BJP MP Sambit Patra accused the Congress of “running away” from parliamentary debates, and cited discussions held between senior BJP leaders, students and activist Sonam Wangchuk over the past three days. Patra said, “You can see what kind of scenes are unfolding outside Parliament today – and this is not an isolated incident. The Congress repeatedly creates such scenes outside Parliament and uses black clothes, banners and posters inside the House to waste precious parliamentary time. The Congress party shies away from discussing issues that actually need debate. Watch the sequence of events of the last two-three days: Our leaders spoke to students as well as Sonam Wangchuk There is only one consensus – that there should be a thorough discussion on the issue of paper leaks, and strict laws should be made on the floor of the House so that the repeated paper leaks and difficulties faced by the candidates over the years can be stopped. But the Congress does not want to debate in Parliament;
Expressing similar sentiments, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said the ruling coalition is fully committed to addressing the grievances of students and discussed the latest policy measures of the government. Trivedi said, “Today, we MPs from the BJP and the NDA stood up outside Parliament to demand that there be a debate inside the House on NEET and the education system – a debate that the Congress is attempting to stop. The BJP and the NDA government are completely sensitive on this matter. The Prime Minister today clearly said that nothing is more important than the interests of the students, and expressed his determination to ensure stringent punishment to the culprits. It is precisely for this reason that the decision to set up fast-track courts was taken today.”
PM Modi announced fast-track court
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued his first response to the ongoing agitation, stressing the importance of the future of the youth and announcing that fast-track courts will be set up to ensure quick and stringent punishment to those involved in the paper leak. In a post on PM Modi wrote, “Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth! We have decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure speedy and stringent punishment to those involved in the paper leak. Have directed the concerned officers and officials to take all necessary steps in this regard. This continues our series of steps to protect the interests of students. Those who try to harm the future of our youth will not be spared.”
‘Government is protecting the culprits’ – opposition’s counterattack
Reacting to the Prime Minister’s remarks, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the Central government and refused to back down on the NEET paper leak issue. Accusing the government of shielding those responsible for systemic failures in the education system, Gandhi wrote to Reiterating the opposition’s demands, Gandhi demanded the immediate dismissal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and an official apology to the students.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh also criticized the Prime Minister and accused him of avoiding direct debate in Parliament. Ramesh posted on Twitter, “The PM lacks the courage to stand up in Parliament, speak and engage in serious debate, as all his predecessors did when the occasion demanded. This morning, he has put out a social media post to show that he is concerned about the issues being raised by students across the country. In fact, this post shows that he is shaken and horrified. Vote theft, seat theft, donation theft, exam paper theft… the list goes on.”
Demonstration of students continues on the streets also
Meanwhile, widespread protests continued at Tolstoy Marg and Janpath in the national capital, as activists and students continued their protest against the Center over exam paper leak and systemic issues in education. The protesters raised slogans against BJP, RSS and Delhi Police. As the demonstration escalated, many protesters attempted to stop moving vehicles, and some reportedly threw water bottles on the road. Others lay down on the road, causing massive disruption to traffic.
Speaking to ANI, a protester from Bihar said that he has been participating in the protest for almost a month and will continue to join the movement at Jantar Mantar until his demands are met. He said, “I am from Bihar and have been in Delhi for at least a month. As long as the protests continue at Jantar Mantar, I will keep coming here. My point is that the police is made up of the public – the duty of the police is to serve the public. But are they serving the public? If they wanted to talk, it would have happened long ago. But do these police officers sit and talk with us? They don’t. Whenever Modi feels cornered, he Hindus turn to Muslim rhetoric. Our demand is clear now: A paper has been leaked, and Dharmendra Pradhan should resign.”
With the issue dominating the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament, further disruptions and heated debates are expected when the House continues its proceedings on Thursday. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)