Rahul Gandhi and "his cabal" are "shedding crocodile tears" and ground reality on paper leaks during the UPA regime and when Akhilesh Yadav was at the helm in UP will open a can of worms for both of them, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Monday as the opposition targeted him over the NEET-UG row in Lok Sabha.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi led the opposition attack on the government over the exam paper leak issue in Parliament, saying there is a very serious problem in the country's exam system and that Pradhan has blamed everybody except himself for it.
Hitting back, Pradhan questioned why the Congress-led government "failed" to implement bills to stop malpractices in educational institutions including the Prohibition of Unfair Practices Bill, 2010, when it was in power.
"The LoP and his cabal are all but shedding crocodile tears. The ground reality on paper leaks during UPA regime and when Shri Akhilesh was at the helm of UP, will open a can of worms for both Shri @RahulGandhi and Shri @yadavakhilesh," Pradhan wrote on X.
"Maybe Rahul Gandhi understands the fundamentals and maths of unfair practices too well. That explains why Congress govt. failed to implement the bills to stop malpractices in educational institutions, including Prohibition of Unfair Practices Bill, 2010.
"Can the LoP tell under what compulsions, pressure and for what considerations did the Congress Party refuse to bring laws to curb irregularities?" he added.
Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, said it is obvious to the whole country that there is a very serious problem in the examination system, not just in NEET but in all major examinations.
Under opposition fire, Pradhan told Lok Sabha that he was "here at the mercy of my leader, the prime minister" and that his government is collectively answerable.
The minister also asserted that there has been no evidence of paper leaks in the last seven years.
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