New Delhi, Jul 23 (PTI): Amid a deadlock between the opposition and the government in Parliament over a discussion on the NEET paper leak issue, the Congress on Thursday said any debate with Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan continuing in office would be futile.
The Congress said Pradhan must resign immediately, going by the nationwide sentiment.
The principal opposition party earlier stepped up the ante against the government over the demand for Pradhan’s resignation, with Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge saying in the House that the education minister must resign before a discussion on NEET starts.
Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Kharge and other MPs also held a strong protest inside Parliament premises in favour of their demand. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the Monsoon session of 2015 was washed out over the VYAPAM scam in Madhya Pradesh as the then chief minister in question was “protected and now again the minister behind the NEET paper leak issue is also being protected”.
He was referring to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who was the Madhya Pradesh chief minister in 2015.
“How time marches and nothing changes! The Monsoon 2015 session was wiped out almost entirely because of the VYAPAM examination and recruitment scam in Madhya Pradesh.
“The Monsoon 2026 session has been rocked by the NTA paper leak scandal. The man who presided over the VYAPAM scam was protected and given two important Union Ministries. The man who presided over the NTA paper leak continues to be protected by the Pradhan Mantri,” Ramesh said in a post on X.
He said any discussion in Parliament with the “Mantri Pradhan” in office will be futile.
“The nationwide sentiment and demand is clear and categorical – Mantri Pradhan must resign immediately,” the Congress leader asserted.
