The grand reception accorded to former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan during his Odisha visit on Tuesday is nothing but a “sponsored” event, the Opposition Biju Janata Dal on Tuesday alleged, asserting that it was a ploy at masking the circumstances leading to his resignation over the NEET question paper leak controversy.
BJD spokesperson and media coordinator Lenin Mohanty, Biju Yuva Janata Dal president Chinmay Sahu and Biju Chhatra Janata Dal president Ipsita Sahu, in a joint press conference here, alleged that Pradhan was forced to quit following sustained nationwide student protests over the NEET paper leak.
Stating that repeated examination paper leaks during Pradhan’s tenure as Union Education Minister had eroded public confidence in the examination system, the BJD leaders pointed out that the recent NEET paper leak triggered widespread outrage among students and parents, culminating in a month-long protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi that drew
As the protest continued despite unprecedented police brutality, support from across the country and eventually forced Pradhan to step down, they maintained.
The reception organised for Pradhan on his arrival in Odisha was a politically sponsored damage-control exercise to repair his public image and divert attention from Centre’s failure to curb recurring examination paper leaks.
They also further pointed out that the absence of several senior BJP leaders from the reception reflected internal differences within the party’s Odisha unit.
Such ‘brazen’ and ‘sponsored’ public displays could not erase the accountability arising from the NEET controversy or the concerns of students affected by repeated examination paper leaks, they concluded.