Trinamool Congress MP Kirti Azad challenged Union Minister Pralhad Joshi to file a defamation suit regarding the NEET paper leak controversy, asserting on July 29 that the allegations made against the administration were true. Azad highlighted that the examination compromise occurred despite existing legal frameworks.
Addressing reporters in New Delhi, Azad stated, “Go ahead and sue for defamation. After all, what was said was true,” and criticized the ruling government for focusing on communal polarization rather than addressing issues such as education, unemployment, and fuel prices.
Azad criticized Joshi for invoking legal provisions regarding the exam issue, saying, “Legally speaking, the NEET paper leak shouldn’t have happened, yet it took place after the laws were already in place.”
He condemned comments by BJP parliamentarians about student protesters, noting, “Look at the vile things their MPs have said about students. One of their MPs, a film actress, called the students ‘gutter-class’… that is the kind of language they use. Before that, they were accused of being funded by China and America. I thank these young people for the way they stepped forward, fought for their rights, and secured them, making the government bow down.”
Azad also accused the government of misappropriating temple donations collected in Lord Ram’s name and expressed hope that the Education Minister would take action to improve the education system, stating, “1,000,000 government primary schools have shut down, and 80,000 government schools lack basic toilet facilities.”
Regarding dissident parliamentarians within the TMC, Azad rejected the description of ‘rebel’ and called for immediate disqualification, saying, “These individuals are traitors, not rebels. Their membership should be canceled immediately, as they are openly defecting. The Speaker has not yet designated them as a separate group, nor have they received official recognition. Therefore, the membership of these TMC traitors must be canceled immediately.”
Azad criticized the government’s management of recent student protests, comparing it with the 2016 pellet gun use in Kashmir, noting international scrutiny of both events. He supported Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge’s statements on the RSS and BJP, adding that those who did not take part in the freedom struggle have no right to lecture others on patriotism.
Azad also called for strict parliamentary action against political defections, declaring, “These individuals are not rebels; they are traitors who have betrayed the mandate. True rebels were those like my father and millions of freedom fighters who fought against British rule.”
In related comments, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram criticized the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill as “pointless,” arguing that increased penalties and prison terms will not deter wrongdoing. He recommended reforming the examination process instead.
Samajwadi Party MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq stated that the opposition remains ready for discussion and urged the government to fulfill its promises regarding justice, warning that continued government inaction risks eroding public trust.
The Minister of State for the PMO, Jitendra Singh, moved the Amendment Bill to the 2024 Act for discussion in the Lok Sabha amid widespread protests over the NEET-UG paper leak.
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