Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan strongly criticized Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi over the ongoing NEET-UG controversy on Monday, accusing him of being well-versed in the "fundamentals and maths of unfair practices." In a social media post, Pradhan pointed out that the Congress-led UPA government failed to enact legislation aimed at curbing malpractices in educational institutions.
"Perhaps Rahul Gandhi understands the fundamentals and mathematics of unfair practices all too well. This could explain why the Congress government failed to pass bills intended to curb malpractices in educational institutions, such as the Prohibition of Unfair Practices Bill of 2010," Pradhan asserted.
He challenged Rahul Gandhi to clarify why the Congress did not pass laws to eradicate irregularities in competitive exams.
Amid relentless criticism from the Opposition regarding the NEET controversy and demands for his resignation, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stated in Lok Sabha on Monday that he holds his position "at the mercy of my leader" and stressed that the government is "collectively accountable."
Responding to Rahul Gandhi, Pradhan asserted in the Lower House that he has the support of his constituents and does not need validation of his intelligence from Parliament.
"Shouting lies will not make them true. Labeling the country's examination system as trash is incredibly unfortunate coming from the Leader of the Opposition. I strongly denounce this statement," the minister said.
Pradhan then indirectly referred to past incidents, using a "remote control" analogy often aimed at the Manmohan Singh government by the BJP.
"In 2010, three education reform Bills were introduced by their minister Kapil Sibal. One of them aimed to outlaw unfair practices. What hindered their progress? Who exerted pressure resulting in the withdrawal of that Bill? Was it the influence of private medical colleges? And now they're questioning us," he remarked.
Addressing allegations from the Opposition, the minister highlighted that the National Testing Agency (NTA) has conducted over 240 exams with more than 5 crore students participating.
"There has been no instance of paper leaks in the past seven years," he emphasized, asserting that the government has been transparent in its actions.
When Congress MP B Manickam Tagore questioned if the minister would consider resigning amid the massive row, Pradhan replied, "I am at the mercy of my leader, whenever accountability comes, the government is collectively answerable to that."
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