Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Jul 22: The Congress on Wednesday intensified its attack on Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, demanding his immediate resignation over the NEET paper leak controversy and accusing him of attempting to deflect responsibility by targeting Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
The party's response came a day after Pradhan alleged that Rahul Gandhi and the Congress were using students as "political tools" during the ongoing protests over the alleged irregularities in the NEET examination.
Congress MP Jebi Mather strongly criticised the minister, saying he had no moral authority to comment on the issue while being responsible for what the party described as failures in the education system.
"Dharmendra Pradhan has no moral right to make such statements. He is the person accountable for the mismanagement of the education system and the repeated paper leak incidents. Instead of delivering speeches, he should resign immediately. We will continue our protests until he steps down," she said.
Echoing the demand, Congress leader Pawan Khera accused the Centre of politicising the concerns of students rather than addressing them.
"The government is playing politics with the future of students. Dharmendra Pradhan should stop making lengthy statements and simply resign. We are not interested in his speeches; we want accountability," Khera said.
The Congress has consistently sought a comprehensive investigation into the alleged NEET-UG paper leak and has been pressing for the Education Minister's resignation, holding him responsible for the controversy.
Pradhan's remarks followed a protest led by Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several Opposition leaders outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence at Lok Kalyan Marg, where they demanded the minister's removal over the examination issue.
In a post on X, Pradhan accused Rahul Gandhi and the Congress of exploiting students for political purposes during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
He alleged that the Opposition's decision to stage a sit-in outside the Prime Minister's residence caused inconvenience to the public and disregarded established security protocols.
The minister also claimed that despite the government's willingness to hold a detailed discussion on the NEET issue in Parliament, the Congress had chosen political confrontation over constructive debate.
"Their objective was never to find solutions for students but to create disruption for political headlines," Pradhan said.
He further asserted that the government remained fully committed to discussing the NEET controversy and addressing the concerns of students through parliamentary proceedings.
Concluding his statement, Pradhan said students deserved meaningful reforms rather than political slogans, adding that the government was committed to ensuring transparency, accountability and improvements in the examination system.