Delhi BJP President Harsh Malhotra and Education Minister Ashish Sood on Thursday said whatever is happening in the country at present can be described as anything but student politics.
Addressing a joint press conference with Ashish Sood, Malhotra said, “I would first like to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to conduct fast-track trials in cases of paper leaks.”
Accusing Opposition parties of hijacking the student movement, spreading violence from behind the scene, crossing political boundaries and defaming the student movement, he said whatever is happening (referring to the Coacroach Janata Party (CJP) protest against NEET paper leak), is a desperate attempt by the Opposition to redeam their political future, especially after losing one elections after another.
Malhotra said, “Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal and other Opposition leaders must answer what they achieved by breaching the security of the Prime Minister’s residence and the Indian Parliament, or why they are now running away from a discussion on the NEET examination in Parliament.”
He pointed out that the movement that began in the name of the NEET paper leak is no longer about the core issue as the reexamination has already been conducted with satisfactory results.
According to Malhotra, BJP leaders including the national president Nitin Nabin, former national president Jagat Prakash Nadda, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and Delhi Minister Ashish Sood, all began their political journeys through student politics.
The Delhi BJP chief said the Opposition today has no political vision, it consists only of personality-driven parties that have been rejected by the people for the last 12 years.
On the occasion, Malhotra and Sood released a list of competitive examination paper leaks that took place during the Congress government led by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh between 2004 and 2014, and also referred to the recent pharmacy examination paper leak under the AAP government in Punjab.
According to the BJP leader, the seriousness of PM Modi government towards reforming and expanding the education system is evident from the fact that between 2014-15 and 2023-24, the number of higher education institutions in the country increased by 25 per cent, and the number of universities increased by 69.7 per cent.
During the Modi era, the number of Dalit students pursuing higher education increased by 51.4 per cent, while the number of OBC students increased by 60.2 per cent, he added.
According to Delhi Minister Sood, he said he understands that whenever a movement begins, it carries the hopes of many students as well as their parents.
“We are not watching what is happening in the national capital from a distance. This morning itself, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear that the interests and future of the country’s youth are our highest priority. No one who plays with the future of the youth will be spared,” he added.
“Whether it is the recommendations of the Radhakrishnan Committee or the decision to establish fast-track courts today, we are not providing any temporary solution. We are working to address every aspect where improvement is required,” he said.