Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Wednesday hit back at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over the latter’s claims on paper leaks, accusing him of using student issues to gain political mileage.
Addressing a press conference shortly after Rahul Gandhi accused the government of failing students, Nadda said that the Congress leader was being selective in raising the issue of paper leaks.
The Union Minister cited alleged incidents of paper leaks in several states, and said the Opposition was using student issues to gain political mileage instead of focusing on their welfare.
He further highlighted paper leak incidents in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Punjab, Kerala and Karnataka, and questioned why Rahul Gandhi had not raised such cases in Congress and Opposition-ruled states.
“If I talk about the paper leak in the Service Selection Board examination in Jammu and Kashmir, where the government is of the Congress and the National Conference. Similarly, in Himachal Pradesh, the paper leak happened in Himachal Pradesh School Examination Board where the government is of Congress. Similarly, in Jharkhand, Hindi and Science papers were leaked in JAC, where the government is of the Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. In Telangana, the language paper of Intermediate was leaked and there too we know that the government is supported by Congress and CPI. In Telangana, the language paper was leaked in SSC and there too the government is supported by the Congress Party and CPI. In Tamil Nadu, the paper leak happened in the B.Ed course paper of what we call the Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University Board; there was an opposition government there too at that time. In West Bengal, the recruitment exam paper of Police Constable was leaked,” Nadda said.
“There was a TMC government there at that time. In Punjab, the Punjab Subordinate Service Selection Board experienced paper leaks and malpractices in the Group B examination. Similarly, in Keralam, irregularities occurred in 26 PSC exam papers. In Karnataka, where the Congress government is, there was a paper leak in the Preparatory Board exam. The PUC paper was leaked. This is a fairly long list, which we’ll want to discuss whenever it’s time. I’d like to ask the LoP, Rahul Gandhi, why you are so selective? Why haven’t you discussed the UPA and UPA-supported governments? Why have you distanced yourself from them? This clearly shows that your objective isn’t the welfare of students. Your objective is to improve education, improve the quality of education, and ensure justice for students. You’re not interested in this. You want to gain political mileage from student issues and demands. You want to make political gains, which is unfortunate,” he said.
What Rahul Gandhi said on paper leaks
Earlier in the day, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi slammed police action on protesters over their demands about issues in the education sector and claimed that 152 paper leaks occurred in the last decade, affecting 7.5 crore students and their families.
Gandhi said that Dharmendra Pradhan has “failed as an Education Minister” and “has literally destroyed India’s biggest asset”.
He also said that the Congress fully supports the demand for his resignation, while also demanding accountability for police action against protestors during their ‘Sansad Chalo’ march on July 20.
‘Govt examining Rahul Gandhi’s claims’
Nadda said that the government was examining Rahul Gandhi’s claims about around 150 paper leaks and would respond to every point, placing the facts before the people and the country with complete transparency.
“I also want to point out that at 4 pm today, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, made a presentation in which he referred to around 150 paper leaks. The matter is under examination, and as a responsible government, we will certainly respond to every point. We will place the facts before the people and the country with complete transparency. However, I would like to share some preliminary observations that have come to my attention and that I have noted down,” Nadda said.
Govt ready for detailed discussions on paper leaks in Parliament
Meanwhile, Nadda reiterated that the government was ready for a detailed discussion on paper leaks in Parliament for a duration as long as the Opposition wants.
“We have wanted it (paper leaks) to be discussed in Parliament. Short duration discussion, long duration discussion, in the Business Advisory Committee, you decide how much time you want to take. You can take 12 hours, you can take 18 hours. In the Rajya Sabha, as the leader of the house, I have always believed that we are ready for discussion for whatever number of hours the opposition decides. The government is ready for discussion and the opposition should keep this in mind and should not change the goal post,” Nadda said.
“We should think about how we can solve this problem and the Parliament is the most appropriate forum where we can think about it deeply. The opposition should decide the duration and every aspect should be discussed in it and we should come up with a concrete policy. Children are ours, yours, and the future of the country. It is our responsibility to care for the future of the country. This responsibility includes the government as well as the opposition. Therefore, I urge the opposition to fulfill its responsibility, and we should all work together to address this issue and move forward toward a lasting solution,” he added.