India parliament deadlock deepens as Rahul Gandhi demands Pradhan’s resignation over NEET leak

New Delhi: The political confrontation over the NEET-UG paper leak intensified on Wednesday, with India’s Parliament remaining deadlocked as the Opposition renewed its demand for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. The government insisted it was prepared for a full debate but rejected what it called “new conditions” imposed by the Opposition.

The standoff disrupted proceedings in both Houses, with the Rajya Sabha witnessing repeated adjournments before being called off for the day.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said a meaningful discussion could only take place if Pradhan first stepped down.

“If there has to be a fair discussion, the Education Minister should resign first,” Kharge told the House, while Opposition parties continued to press for a debate under Rule 267, which allows the suspension of listed business to discuss an urgent issue.

The government rejected the demand, saying it had never shied away from discussing the controversy.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Centre had been ready for a debate from the outset and accused the Opposition of changing the goalposts by attaching fresh conditions.

“The government wants a thorough discussion on the NEET exam paper leak and the steps it has taken to address it,” Rijiju later told reporters, adding that Parliament was the appropriate forum to inform citizens about the measures being taken. Leader of the House J.P. Nadda also accused the INDIA bloc of undermining parliamentary functioning despite the government’s willingness to debate the issue.

Congress escalates attack

Outside Parliament, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi escalated the Congress attack, describing India’s education system as “rigged” and accusing the government of failing millions of students.

Addressing a press conference, Gandhi claimed that 152 examination paper leaks had occurred over the past decade, affecting 75 million students and their families, while alleging that there had not been a single conviction in any of the cases. He also alleged that students from poor and middle-class families were paying the price for a broken system.

Calling Pradhan “incompetent” and “corrupt”, Gandhi demanded his removal from office, accountability for those responsible for the alleged examination lapses and police action against protesters, and an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to students.

The Congress leader also claimed that families appearing for NEET collectively spend about Rs 1.32 trillion annually on the examination process — an amount he said was almost equal to the Union government’s annual education budget of Rs 1.4 trillion.

The political row unfolded against the backdrop of continuing protests in the national capital.

Head injury

Delhi Police said an Assistant Commissioner of Police sustained a head injury after being struck by a stone during clashes at a protest at Jantar Mantar. Police alleged that protesters resorted to stone-pelting while officers were performing their duties.

Separately, the Delhi High Court issued notices to the Centre and Delhi Police on petitions alleging excessive use of force during the July 20 protest march and directed authorities to preserve CCTV footage and other electronic evidence relating to the incident.

Activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on an indefinite fast demanding Pradhan’s resignation over the NEET controversy, said he would end his protest only if the government assured that no punitive action would be taken against students who participated in the demonstrations. Wangchuk entered the 25th day of his fast on Wednesday.

- with inputs from agencies