New Delhi: Former Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of shedding crocodile tears and spreading lies instead of agreeing to participate in a discussion on student issues in Parliament.
Pradhan also called out Gandhi’s “double standards” on the issues concerning youth and students, citing police crackdown on job aspirants protesting against the alleged irregularities in recruitment exams in Jharkhand where the Congress is a partner in the JMM-led coalition government.
“The Congress party’s approach to democracy is also selective. There is violence against youth where it holds power. And where it has to shine its politics, there is falsehood and uproar,” the former education minister said in a post on X in Hindi.
“The entire nation has witnessed the brutality inflicted upon students in Jharkhand. However, the question remains: why has Rahul Gandhi, who typically holds press conferences on every issue, maintained silence today?” he added.
Government offers to hold discussion:
On Monday, the government offered to hold a discussion in the Lok Sabha on student protests, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju saying in the House that Home Minister Amit Shah would respond to the debate.
However, the Congress and its allies said they will agree to the government’s offer only if a discussion on the alleged embezzlement of Ram temple donation will also be held, prompting the ruling BJP to accuse Gandhi of changing goalposts to deliberately disrupt the Parliament.
As the deadlock between the government and the opposition continued on Tuesday, Pradhan said, “The Congress is constantly spreading lies regarding the students’ interests. Rahul Gandhi lacks facts.”
He also slammed Gandhi for levelling “baseless” accusations against the Union home minister, alleging that the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha is “a habitual liar”.
“Gandhi has no intention of attending Parliament or listening to the reply. All he wants to do is spread falsehoods and shed crocodile tears,” the senior BJP leader said. Pradhan alleged that while the government is prepared to discuss “every issue” in Parliament, the Congress is disrupting House proceedings, undermining the interests of the country and its youth.
“This is because their intent is to prioritise their own interests over the national interest. They create a ruckus outside (Parliament Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) when discussions are taking place inside the House, simply because they lack the capacity to listen to the answers provided there,” he added.
Pradhan claimed the country’s youth have fully understood the Congress’ “double standards”.
“There is no room for dictatorship in a democracy. This is something Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party, driven by the same mindset that led to the Emergency, must clearly understand,” he added.