Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai
Mumbai, Jul 23: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the Opposition to hold a discussion on the NEET paper leak issue in Parliament instead of resorting to protests, saying democratic decisions are taken inside the House and not on the streets.
Speaking to reporters, Fadnavis accused the Opposition of trying to derive political mileage from student protests and urged Rahul Gandhi to "give up his escapist attitude" and participate in a parliamentary debate.
"In a democracy, decisions are not taken on the streets but in Parliament. If the Opposition has faith in the Constitution, it should seek answers from the government in Parliament. If it has constructive suggestions, it should present them and compel the government to act. Political opportunism through protests should stop," he said.
The Chief Minister asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had accorded the highest priority to students' interests and had adopted a strict approach against those responsible for examination paper leaks.
Fadnavis said the recent NEET examination had been conducted without any major disruption and students who cleared the exam were celebrating their success. He stressed that discussions should focus on ensuring that future examinations are conducted smoothly.
Highlighting the Centre's investment in education, Fadnavis said the education budget had increased from around Rs 8,000 crore during the UPA government's tenure to Rs 1.39 lakh crore under the present government. He also said the number of seats in premier educational institutions had been expanded, creating more opportunities for students.
Targeting the Opposition, Fadnavis alleged that examination paper leaks had also taken place in Congress-ruled Karnataka and Telangana, as well as in Punjab under the Aam Aadmi Party government, and said those parties should answer for those incidents.
He further alleged that the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) recruitment scam in Maharashtra occurred during the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Uddhav Thackeray. Claiming that several ministers of the former government had faced allegations, Fadnavis said the controversy involved attempts to pass candidates who had failed rather than merely a paper leak.
His remarks come amid continued political sparring over the NEET paper leak issue, with the Opposition demanding accountability from the Centre during the ongoing Parliament session.