Jitendra Singh accused Rahul Gandhi of backing off his word during a protest over the NEET-UG exam. He said the govt agreed to a Parliament debate, but Gandhi then changed his stance, demanding the Education Minister’s resignation.
Union Minister of State for the Prime Minister’s Office, Jitendra Singh, on Tuesday alleged that Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, backed off from his word and continued to protest at Lok Kalyan Marg, despite the government’s assurance to hold a parliamentary discussion on the NEET-UG examination. Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and KC Venugopal, were among the Congress leaders who are protesting at Lok Kalyan Marg. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule also joined the protest. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence is on Lok Kalyan Marg. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were detained during the protest.
‘Rahul Gandhi Backed Off His Word’: Jitendra Singh
Jitendra Singh alleged that the Opposition leaders came for “confrontation and conflict” with the government. Speaking to ANI, Singh claimed that Rahul Gandhi initially demanded a parliamentary discussion during a conversation with him. However, after receiving an assurance from the government, the Congress leader said that he also wants Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign.
The Union Minister said, “It was learned that Congress Party National President Mallikarjun Kharge and other senior leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and others had suddenly sat on ‘dharna’. It was also reported that the place was not very conducive to a sit-in protest. It was causing significant inconvenience to the public. The government decided that I, along with the Union Home Secretary, would go to the site and meet with these senior leaders. We went with the idea that we would politely present our point of view and argue that a discussion with the government would be better. However, upon arriving, Rahul Gandhi urged us that if the government agreed to a discussion in Parliament on NEET and related education issues, he would immediately end the protest. I asked him this question not once but two or three times.”
‘You are changing the goalpost’
“Discussions were held with the top leadership of the government, and we were told to assure them on behalf of the government that the government has no objection. The government is ready to discuss NEET in Parliament, both related issues and the ongoing protests. When we raised this issue with Rahul Gandhi, he said, ‘I also want the Education Minister to resign.’ We replied that when you were repeatedly asked what you demanded, you said that if you were assured that the government would allow the Congress Party to discuss the matter in Parliament, or that you were willing to do so, I would immediately end this protest. But now you are going back on your word,” he added.
He termed Rahul Gandhi’s behaviour “unfortunate,” alleging that the Leader of Opposition was not ready to cooperate. Jitendra Singh said, “He (Rahul Gandhi) replied, ‘Sir, this is my wish. My demands have changed.’ We replied, ‘This is not fair; you are changing the goalpost.’ We then politely explained to him that it is unbecoming of a senior leader like you, who is also the Leader of the Opposition, to go back on your word in a matter of moments. When the government is saying it’s ready for a discussion in Parliament, not just on this issue but on all other related topics, he said, ‘No, sir, we’ll sit here. You can take us away.’ We said, ‘I came to discuss this with you. I didn’t intend to take you away. I just came to make this request. But it seems you’re not in the mood to find a solution through the media.’ It’s very unfortunate that the LoP behaves this way, changing his stance so quickly.”
‘Opposition came for confrontation, conflict’
Clarifying the Centre’s stand on the NEET-UG paper leak, he said that the government will not tolerate injustice against students. “This means he’s in a mood of conflict. He doesn’t want to cooperate with the government to discuss or advance public interest issues. They’ve come with the intention of confrontation, conflict, and finding an issue. And as far as the government is concerned, you remember the Prime Minister made it very clear today that strict action will be taken against those responsible for the NEET exam and paper leaks, and is already being taken. Many people have also been detained. This is an issue that has affected almost every state in the country, and we will not allow or tolerate injustice against our children. Despite this, if the opposition and the Leader of the Opposition are unwilling to cooperate, I’m sure the people of the country are watching,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi earlier attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over police action against protesters during their march to Parliament over their demands and urged people who believe in justice for students to join the Congress protest at Lok Kalyan Marg. This comes after the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP)’s ‘Sansad Chalo’ protest on Monday, which was met with police action in Central Delhi. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)