PM Modi must apologise in Parliament: Priyank Kharge urges Centre to outline educational reforms

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge alleged Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the NEET paper leak was forced by nationwide student protests rather than remorse. Kharge demanded PM Narendra Modi apologize in Parliament, withdraw FIRs against demonstrators, and compensate affected families

Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Saturday alleged that neither Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan nor Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed remorse or accepted responsibility for the NEET paper leak, underlining that the minister’s resignation was forced by sustained nationwide student protests.

Pradhan on Saturday resigned from his position following massive protests in the national capital and various other parts of the country over NEET paper leak.

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Speaking to reporters here, Kharge claimed that Pradhan’s resignation letter did not acknowledge responsibility for the paper leak and instead justified his exit by citing the need to prevent “anti-national forces” from exploiting the situation.

“It is very clear that Pradhan’s resignation is not one of consciousness, or it is not one because he’s taken accountability; it is because he’s been forced to by the students of this nation,” Kharge said. He said it took Pradhan three months fom May 15 to July 25 to acknowledge and resign. Kharge said the Centre had “failed” to show remorse over the controversy despite admitting the paper leak in May.

“In other words, he is not saying that he is resigning because he accepts responsibility for the paper leak. He is saying that he is resigning so that anti-national forces do not gain an advantage,” he alleged. He urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come to Parliament, apologise to students and explain the government’s roadmap for educational reforms.

“The Prime Minister should come to Parliament and answer the students: What is the blueprint they have for their future? Who ordered the lathi-charge and the tear-gas firing on students? These questions need to be answered in Parliament,” he said.

Tracing the sequence of events, Kharge said the NEET examination was held on May 3, complaints of a paper leak surfaced on May 7, the National Testing Agency approached the police on May 8, and Pradhan publicly acknowledged the leak on May 15 before resigning only on July 25.

He alleged that lakhs of students had suffered uncertainty over admissions, around 20 students had died by suicide and many others had remained on hunger strike while the government delayed action. Kharge also accused BJP leaders of branding protesting students as “anti-nationals” and alleged that Karnataka BJP leaders had described them as “cockroaches” who should be eliminated.

“On the one hand, they call these students cockroaches, traitors and irrelevant. But on the other hand, their Central leaders invited them for negotiations not once, but thrice,” he said.

The minister demanded withdrawal of all FIRs against student protesters, compensation of Rs one crore each for the families of students who died by suicide, and an apology from the Centre for the police action against demonstrators.

“People elected you to govern, not to make speeches. They elected you to work and to be accountable. Come to Parliament, apologise, and present a clear roadmap for reforms in education policy,” he said.

Kharge alleged that the BJP government had “lost the faith of the youth” and accused it of attempting to divert attention from the paper leak through “falsehoods and a misleading narrative”. He also questioned the Centre over its negotiations with activist Sonam Wangchuk and leaders of the Cockroach Janata Party after BJP leaders had accused them of acting at the behest of ‘foreign forces’.