New Delhi, July 22 (IANS). Political rhetoric has intensified after the press conference of Union Health Minister JP Nadda. Leaders of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress and BJP reacted on the issue. The opposition accused the government of suppressing the voice of students and shirking accountability, while the BJP accused the Congress and the opposition of trying to take political advantage of the students’ issue.
RJD MP Sudhakar Singh said that now only the government will decide whether there will be a movement in the country or not, whether there will be politics or not. He questioned that when lakhs of students reach Jantar Mantar with their demands, then why does the government use force instead of communicating with them. There was lathicharge on the students, but the government neither apologized nor resolved their problems. The government has so far not been able to take effective action against the culprits in paper leak cases. Despite the papers being leaked several times and CBI investigation being registered, no accused was punished.
Sudhakar Singh said that the agitating students do not belong to any political party, but are children of ordinary families of the country and the government should talk to them and find a solution. The opposition is not being given an opportunity to speak in Parliament and force is being used on citizens, which is reminiscent of an emergency-like situation. He said that the charge sheet could not be filed on time against Sanjeev Mukhiya, the main accused in the NEET case. Besides, he also made serious allegations against the central government regarding paper leak gangs.
Congress leader Sukhdev Bhagat said that crores of students have been affected by the paper leak. The future of many students is affected, many have crossed the age limit and examinations have to be conducted again and again. Raising such issues is not a matter of politics but a question of the future of the youth. Rahul Gandhi has been continuously raising these issues for the last two years, but the government has remained insensitive. Students are being lathicharged, their voices are being suppressed by barricading and when the opposition raises this issue in Parliament, the mikes are switched off.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pawan Kheda raised the question that when the movement is going on against Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, then why is Health Minister JP Nadda answering in the press conference. Instead of fixing responsibility, this government gets answers from different ministers, while the Prime Minister remains silent. Lathicharge and tear gas were used on students and the opposition was expected to remain silent.
He also raised questions on the functioning of NTA, saying that it should have been made an independent statutory body, but it is being run as a society.
BJP leader RP Singh said that a serious issue like paper leak should not be seen from a political perspective. The central government had brought a strict law to stop paper leaks in the year 2024, which was also passed by the Parliament. He claimed that at that time Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav did not give any suggestion on this law and now the same people are doing politics on this issue.
–IANS
PSK/ABM
