Rahul Gandhi Slams BJP Welcome to Dharmendra Pradhan over NEET Row

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi severely criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party for giving a grand parliamentary reception to former union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha condemned the ruling party on social media. He alleged that felicitating Pradhan amounted to celebrating the destruction of the future of lakhs of students.

Appearing in public for the first time since announcing his resignation, Pradhan received a rousing welcome on Monday morning. After stepping down from his car at the Parliament premises and greeting the media, several National Democratic Alliance MPs circled him, raising "Dharmendra Pradhan zindabad" slogans.

"Dharmendra Pradhan is, and will always remain, the symbol of corruption and India's ruined education system. It is that very system that took the lives of 26 children and forced lakhs of youth onto the streets. His resignation did not come out of morality—it was forced out of fear of the youth's rage.

"And today, the BJP is garlanding that same person inside Parliament. This is not an honour—it is a celebration of ruining the futures of lakhs of children. Every student in the country is watching this. And they will remember every face involved in this," Rahul wrote on X.

Opposition Mounts Fierce Attack

Senior Congress figures launched a coordinated offensive against the ruling party over the reception.

Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury also slammed the BJP, saying Pradhan is being made a 'hero from zero'. "These people had also welcomed Bilkis Bano's convicts by garlanding them," Chowdhury said.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh called the parliamentary welcome a severe insult to young citizens.

"The BJP should make it clear whether, despite the paper leaks, the crumbling education system, the lathi charges on students and the firing of pellet guns, Pradhan's work was commendable?" Ramesh wrote on X.

Rajya Sabha member Pawan Khera also targeted the government, saying 'a corrupt, incompetent former minister was given a hero’s welcome by his own ilk.'

"Imagine their audacity, their mediocrity and their sheer insensitivity towards the 26 students who have died by suicide in the past few months," Khera wrote on X.

Resignation And Policy Shifts

The former minister stepped down recently following nationwide student demonstrations over the NEET exam paper leak and other recent examination-related irregularities. The Cockroach Janta Party spearheaded these massive protests across the country, making his resignation a central demand.

In his resignation letter, Pradhan wrote that he was stepping down for the sake of students and their future.

"...To ensure that anti-national elements are not benefitted by the situation at Jantar Mantar and across the country, that the nation remains united, students in India do not get tangled in legal complexities and focus on their studies and their career, I have tendered my resignation to the Prime Minister..." the letter stated. However, several BJP MPs later hailed him as a big education reformer and highlighted his contributions during his tenure in the union cabinet.

The government has handed Pralhad Joshi charge of the education ministry. He already holds the Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and New and Renewable Energy portfolios.

Following the resignation, the Centre introduced the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill in Parliament on Monday, designed to reinforce measures against paper leaks and cheating. These developments follow weeks of nationwide student protests demanding systemic reforms and accountability. The Centre has announced a series of measures to address the issue. However, Opposition parties continue to press the government over the handling of the protests, alleged police action against students and accountability over the examination controversy.