New Delhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday said when Parliament is in session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be making a statement on the paper leaks issue on the floor of the House and not delivering a "one-sided Mann Ki Baat".
Kharge's remarks came after Modi announced on Thursday night in a video message that a bill containing provisions for strong action against paper leaks would be introduced in Parliament next week.
In a video message, Modi also said the contours of the bill would be discussed at a meeting of the Union Cabinet on Friday, where the proposed legislation will be finalised.
Reacting to the PM's remarks, Kharge said, "Before coming to Parliament today, please dismiss Dharmendra Pradhan. First, apologise to the students and take strict action against those who ordered the use of batons and pellet guns to suppress the students' voices. Then we are ready for a detailed discussion on the education system."
"When Parliament is in session, the prime minister is required to make a statement on the floor of the House. He should not be delivering a one-sided 'Mann Ki Baat' outside Parliament," the Congress chief said in a post in Hindi on X.
In his remarks last night, Modi said the cabinet would discuss the issue of paper leaks on Friday and after taking suggestions of the cabinet colleagues, further action would be finalised.
"On Monday, when the second week of the Monsoon session of Parliament will begin, a bill will be brought with provisions for strong action against paper leaks and we will try to pass it as early as possible," he said.
The prime minister said he knows that paper leaks are not a small issue and for lakhs of students and their guardians, such incidents are extremely painful.
Therefore, since allegations of the NEET paper leak surfaced about two and a half months ago, several strong steps have been taken, he added.
"The guilty have been caught. They are now in jail. Our most significant responsibility was to ensure that the students did not lose a year. It was necessary to hold the examination immediately. By using all resources, the government ensured that 22 lakh students could attend the retest," Modi said.
Shortly after, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hit out at Modi for sidestepping the issue of Pradhan's resignation in his video message and said the PM should not insult the intelligence of students with this "pathetic midnight video".
