Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday extended support to students protesting at Jantar Mantar over the alleged NEET paper leak issue, accusing the Centre of being “anti-youth” and demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The protesters gathered at Jantar Mantar demanding accountability over the alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and called for Pradhan’s resignation. Backing the students, Priyanka Gandhi said the government was suppressing the voices of young people instead of addressing their concerns.
“They are anti-youth, anti-poor, and anti-farmers. It’s been 12 years, and we are all seeing this. When farmers protest, you suppress them. Now you are suppressing the children. They are children. Listen to them. What is going to happen if you listen to them peacefully? It is the Minister’s responsibility.
The Minister should resign. There was a time when ministers used to take responsibility. I remember there was a train accident in the 1980s. The very next day, the Minister resigned. So resign. Take responsibility. And, most importantly, fix the system.”
Calling the treatment of protesting students unacceptable, the Congress leader said the issue reflects a deeper crisis affecting the country’s youth. “I think it’s absolutely disgusting. This is no way to treat young people. They have a genuine problem. We all know what that problem is.
We all know that every time they spend money, their parents take loans for them. They struggle, they have to go to coaching centres, and they face immense hardships because they want a bright future for themselves. They see a possibility of a future, and you’re just destroying that future.
So this is a very deep problem. It has existed for many years, and we’ve been talking about it for many years.” She also alleged that despite repeated instances of paper leaks, those responsible have not been held accountable. “Rahul Gandhi has been raising this issue for a long time.
This is not a new issue. But the problem is that it keeps happening again and again, and no action is taken. I remember when I was working in Uttar Pradesh, whenever papers were leaked, a few lower-level officials were arrested or detained for a couple of days. After that, the matter ended there. No action was taken against those actually responsible.”