New Delhi [India], July 22 : Congress MP and Tamil Nadu Party Committee President Manickam Tagore on Tuesday alleged that the "blood of India's brightest is on this NEET-UG scam".
He also demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
"152 paper leaks from 2014 . Shameless Pradhan resign first . 93 NEET-linked student suicides since 2021. At least 13 dead in the 46 days after his own government's paper leak forced a re-test. And Union Education Minister @dpradhanbjp responds to calls for his resignation with... a Sanskrit shloka on the glory of the Guru. Pradhan,the blood of India's brightest is on this NEET-UG scam. Spare us the sermon. Resign."
He was responding to a tweet of the Education Minister posted hours following the Congress protest outside the residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Pradhan on Tuesday slammed the Congress protest outside the residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said the government "owes students more than outrage", accusing Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of "shamelessly exploiting students as political tools".
"LoP Shri @RahulGandhi and @INCIndia continue to shamelessly exploit students as political tools to manufacture disruption during the Monsoon Session of Parliament. Shri @RahulGandhi and @INCIndia chose to stage a dharna outside the Hon'ble Prime Minister's residence, causing inconvenience to the public and disregarding established security protocols," Pradhan wrote on X.
He said that the aim of the Congress protest was "disruption for political headlines".
"Even after Government conveyed its readiness for a comprehensive discussion, the Congress chose political spectacle over democratic debate. Their objective was never solutions for students, it was disruption for political headlines For Rahul Gandhi, this is not about students. This is about manufacturing confrontation after every genuine avenue for discussion has been opened," he added.
"Our Government remains 100% committed to discussing NEET and addressing every genuine concern of our youth on the floor of the House. The students of India deserve far better than being treated as props in a political campaign. They deserve certainty over chaos, solutions over slogans and responsibility over disruption," the BJP leader added.
"We owe our students more than outrage. We owe them answers, reforms and accountability. That is exactly what our government remains committed to delivering," he said.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra: Congress party leaders and workers staged a protest against the Central government to condemn the alleged police lathi-charge on students in New Delhi and the subsequent detention of party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi.
Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, along with several other leaders, were released from detention after Delhi Police's action over the party's protest at Lok Kalyan Marg, demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.
Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and several opposition leaders left from Chhatrasal Stadium, where they were brought under detention by the police.
Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi reached the Mandir Marg Police Station, where Priyanka Gandhi was detained.Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, KC Venugopal and Pawan Khera protested at Lok Kalyan Marg. Keralam Chief Minister VD Satheesan and Karnataka CM DK Shivakumar also joined the protest.
The whole fiasco came after the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP)'s 'Sansad Chalo' protest on Monday, which was met with police action in Central Delhi