Rahul Gandhi alleges 152 paper leaks in 10 years, demands Education Minister’s resignation

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp attack on the Centre over NEET paper leaks, alleging that 152 leaks in 10 years have affected 7.5 crore students with zero convictions, while demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation

New Delhi:Turning up the heat on the Centre over NEET paper leaks, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday claimed that India’s education system was “in tatters” and the students from lower and middle-class families were losing out because of the ‘broken’ system.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, Rahul claimed that India’s education system has been “rigged” under the current dispensation.

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“At least 152 paper leaks have happened in the past 10 years. About 7.5 crore students and families have been affected because of this, but there has not been a single conviction,” Rahul remarked.

Justifying the students’ stir in the capital, the Congress MP said that they were fighting for a fair and legitimate reason, but the government was using force to browbeat and crush them.

“Their demands are completely legitimate,” he stated.

Intensifying the attack on the Education Minister, he said that Dharmendra Pradhan was ‘corrupt and incompetent’ and demanded that he must step down from his position.

Rahul said that India’s biggest asset – its education system was being destroyed under his watch.

The Congress MP also put forth three demands, in particular, and demanded that the government heeds the demands of protesting students.

Listing out his first demand, he said, “Dharmendra Pradhan must be relieved of his duties because of his ineptness and incompetency.”

His other demands included fixing accountability and culpability for those behind lapses in the NEET examinations and, lastly, an apology from the top person (Prime Minister) “behind the entire mess”.

Rahul further said that the “rigged” education system has greatly disadvantaged the students from poor and middle-class families, raising concerns about them being denied a fair and level-playing opportunity.

He claimed that students put in a lot of hard work and their families spend money in lakhs for competitive exams, but at the end, they are locked out of the system, and those from privileged backgrounds walk away with the medical seats.