Will continue to raise issue in Parliament till minister resigns: Akhilesh

The SP chief criticised the handling of the NEET examination, claiming the minister had himself accepted that a paper leak had occurred

Samajwadi Party national president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday reiterated his demand for the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, vowing that the Opposition would continue to protest and raise the issue in Parliament until the demand is met.

Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav. (HT file)

Speaking to the media on his arrival at Lucknow airport, Yadav said the government must immediately accept the students’ demands. He criticised the handling of the NEET examination, claiming the minister had himself accepted that a paper leak had occurred, which necessitated a re-exam.

“It seems as if there is a competition going on between the UP and Central governments on who will get more papers leaked,” Yadav said.

“This is deliberately being done so that they don’t have to give jobs, because if they give jobs then questions will also be raised on reservation. Until the minister resigns, we will continue to raise the issue in Parliament. The demand of the families who have lost their children should also be accepted,” he added.

Yadav drew a controversial historical parallel while commenting on the alleged police action against student protesters.

“If you read the history of Hitler, you will know that he also got his political workers dressed in police uniforms to harass his political opponents. This should be investigated to see if this government is taking lessons from Germany,” he remarked.

He alleged heavy-handed tactics by security forces during protests. “The security forces are tearing the clothes of the students who came for the protest because they want to scare them away and weaken the protest. Many girls have complained about police tearing their clothes,” he alleged.