New Delhi: Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Wednesday responded to Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s claims of alleged paper leaks in the last 10 years in India. Nadda stated that the alleged 152 paper leaks are a “matter of investigation” and vowed to discuss the ongoing NEET-UG paper leak issue – which led to a huge protest in Delhi – in Parliament.
“Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi gave a presentation, and in that presentation, he discussed approximately 150 paper leaks. This is a matter of investigation, and the government, being a responsible government, will undoubtedly investigate and present the truth to the public and the nation,” Nadda told media at the BJP headquarters.
‘Government is ready for discussion in the Parliament’: Nadda:
The leader of the house in Rajya Sabha, Nadda, then stated that the government wants the paper leak issue “to be discussed in the Parliament and left it on the opposition to decide how long of a debate it wants. “We have wanted it (paper leaks) to be discussed in the Parliament. Short duration discussion, long duration discussion, in the Business Advisory Committee, you decide how much time you want to take.
“You can take 12 hours, you can take 18 hours. In the Rajya Sabha, as the leader of the house, I have always believed that we are ready for discussion for whatever number of hours the opposition decides. The government is ready for discussion and the opposition should keep this in mind and should not change the goal post,” he added.
Nadda further asked the Opposition to “fulfil its responsibility” and work to find a “lasting solution”. “Children are ours, yours, and the future of the country. It is our responsibility to care for the future of the country. This responsibility includes the government as well as the opposition. Therefore, I urge the opposition to fulfil its responsibility, and we should all work together to address this issue and move forward toward a lasting solution,” he said.
Nadda speaks on his meeting with CJP protesters:
Meanwhile, the Union Minister also highlighted his discussion with the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) representatives on Monday, stating that the government heard their views “very calmly and is open to discussing the matter with them. “The discussion took place in a very cordial atmosphere. We listened to their views very calmly. I also told them that it would be better if they submitted their points in writing. They have put all those points in writing…I also told them that we are ready for a discussion. Whenever they ask, we are prepared to discuss the matter…We had no meeting today,” he said.
Nadda calls out ‘paper leaks’ in Opposition-ruled states and UTs:
Nadda also hit out at the Opposition parties for alleged “paper leak” in the states and Union Territories ruled by them. “If I talk about the paper leak in the Service Selection Board examination in Jammu and Kashmir, where the government is of the Congress and the National Conference. Similarly, in Himachal Pradesh, the paper leak happened in the Himachal Pradesh School Examination Board, where the government is of the Congress,” he said in his address. Nadda went on to count other alleged paper leaks in “Jharkhand”, where “Hindi and Science papers were leaked in JAC” where the Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha rule.
“In Telangana, the language paper of Intermediate was leaked, and there too we know that the government is supported by Congress and CPI. In Telangana, the language paper was leaked in SSC, and there too the government is supported by the Congress Party and CPI. In Tamil Nadu, the paper leak happened in the B.Ed course paper of what we call the Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University Board; there was an opposition government there too at that time,” he further stated.
Nadda counts paper leaks in WB, Punjab:
The Minister then also counted paper leaks in other states like West Bengal and Punjab. “In West Bengal, the recruitment exam paper of Police Constable was leaked. There was a TMC government there at that time. In Punjab, the Punjab Subordinate Service Selection Board experienced paper leaks and malpractices in the Group B examination. Similarly, in Kerala, irregularities occurred in 26 PSC exam papers,” he said.
In Karnataka, where the Congress government is, there was a paper leak in the Preparatory Board exam. The PUC paper was leaked. This is a fairly long list, which we’ll want to discuss whenever it’s time.”
Why are you so selective, LoP: Nadda:
He further hit out at the LoP Rahul for being “selective” in the paper leak issue. “I’d like to ask the LoP Rahul Gandhi, why are you so selective? Why haven’t you discussed the UPA and UPA-supported governments? Why have you distanced yourself from them? This clearly shows that your objective isn’t the welfare of students. Your objective is to improve education, improve the quality of education, and ensure justice for students. You’re not interested in this. You want to gain political mileage from student issues and demands. You want to make political gains, which is unfortunate,” he added.
