‘Zero conviction in 152 paper leaks’: Rahul Gandhi says India’s education system ‘rigged’ under current dispensation
Rahul Gandhi has alleged that the education system has been “rigged” under the current dispensation.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s daughter, Naimisha Pradhan, has deactivated her social media account after facing a wave of online criticism. The backlash came as the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar intensified, with protesters demanding Pradhan’s resignation as education minister.
Naimisha had completed her Master of Laws (LLM) degree at a university in Massachusetts, United States. As the protests gathered momentum, social media users located her Instagram account and began posting large numbers of comments on her posts. Many users also tagged her in protest-related content, turning her profile into a target of the online campaign.
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LoP Shri @RahulGandhi and @INCIndia continue to shamelessly exploit students as political tools to manufacture disruption during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
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Shri @RahulGandhi and @INCIndia chose to stage a dharna outside the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s residence , causing…
— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) July 21, 2026
Protest mood spills over to social media
The online outrage grew stronger after police action against student protesters earlier this week. On Monday, CJP supporters were marching towards Parliament to highlight their demands when police intervened.
Following those events, several Instagram users uploaded videos and posts questioning why the education minister’s daughter had studied abroad. Many demanded that Dharmendra Pradhan step down from his post.
The campaign did not stop there. Users also began commenting on posts shared by Tufts University, where they posted messages such as “Dharmendra Pradhan resign.” Some even called on the university to suspend Naimisha, although reports say she had already completed her LLM degree in 2023.
Minister responds to protest for the first time
While criticism continued online, Dharmendra Pradhan broke his silence on the CJP protest with a statement on X. In his first public response, he accused the Congress party and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi of using students for political purposes during the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
According to Pradhan, Rahul Gandhi and the Congress were attempting to create disruption instead of participating in discussions inside Parliament. He claimed that the Opposition was exploiting student concerns to stage political protests.
Targets Rahul Gandhi and Congress
In his post, Pradhan alleged that Rahul Gandhi and Congress leaders organised a sit-in outside the Prime Minister’s residence. He said the demonstration caused inconvenience to the public and ignored established security arrangements.
The minister also said the government had already expressed its willingness to discuss NEET and other youth-related concerns in Parliament. However, he claimed that the Congress chose political demonstrations instead of taking part in democratic debate inside the House.
Pradhan further stated that, in his view, the issue was no longer about students but about creating political confrontation even after the government had opened the door for discussions.
‘Students deserve answers’
Defending the government’s stand, Pradhan said it remained fully committed to discussing NEET and addressing students’ concerns.
He added that students should not be treated as political tools and deserved meaningful action instead of public outrage. Stressing the government’s position, the minister said young people needed answers, reforms and accountability, and maintained that the government was committed to delivering all three.
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