While opposition leaders remained firm on Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation demand, union ministers and BJP leaders welcomed Prime Minister Modi’s announcement on the paper leaks.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first reaction to the paper leaks since the massive Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) student protest has drawn mixed reactions. In a post
While some welcomed the move, others criticized it and demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
In a post on the
He added: “Those who try to harm the future of our youth will not be spared.”
CJP demands Pradhan’s resignation
The Sarsour Janta Party, which leads the movement, Reply to Prime Minister Modi’s postrepeating its basic demand: Pradhan’s resignation. Sharing the post on
The CJP founder also took a dig at the Prime Minister’s post by posting a photo of the Education Minister on X, captioning it, “Hello, my name is None.”
Debke also called it “shameful” that it took 34 days for the Prime Minister to respond and accused the government of protecting Pradhan.
“It took the Prime Minister 34 days to notice this and it is shameful that the government is still protecting Dharmendra Pradhan,” Debki said, according to PTI.
Party spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka also responded to the Prime Minister’s letter, accusing him of putting “useless” and “incompetent” people in the system.
“This country has seen many announcements of fast track courts, but this is not the solution to the systemic issues in the education system,” said Ranka’s video sharer on
“What the court does after the paper leak is one of its aspects. PM Modi must fix the system, remove Dharmendra Pradhan and hold those responsible accountable. Enough of Dharmabazi, we want reforms and not just a band-aid!”
Rahul Gandhi criticizes the move
Congressman and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi quickly followed suit and criticized the Prime Minister, accusing him of being “the person” who had harmed the future of the youth.
Addressing X, Gandhi said: “You have permitted and encouraged the takeover and complete destruction of our educational system – and you have protected every person responsible for it.”
He reiterated the students’ demands: “1. Dismiss Dharmendra Pradhan, 2. Apologize to the students. 3. Take action against those who assaulted them.”
Apart from Rahul Gandhi, several other opposition leaders, including TMC’s Sagarika Ghose and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, hit back, reiterating demands for Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation from the post of education minister.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram also rejected PM Modi’s move, saying a mere announcement would not solve systemic problems and called for accountability.
“Just announcing fast-track courts will not really solve the systemic problems. There are specific reasons why these leaks happen regularly because of the commercial angle of coaching centres. There is an incentive for them to show exaggerated results. So, they are ready to indulge in all kinds of unscrupulous practices by encouraging paper leaks and starting paper leaks,” Karti told news agency PTI.
Read also: Who is Pawan Sanjal? A Mumbai policeman has been suspended for threatening student protesters in the drug case
He added that the government should identify and prevent leakage in advance.
He added: “This fast-track court is just a fact. After an illegal act occurs, the perpetrators are arrested and brought to court. But this will not stop the league itself. They must say where the flaw in the supply chain is through which the leak occurs and how they correct it, who is responsible for it and who are they held accountable.”
Congress MP Rajeev Shukla also criticized the move, saying: “Fast court will not achieve anything. First, punish senior officials as required. This (fast court) will be a secondary process, as they will be released on bail,” news agency ANI reported.
AAP rejects Prime Minister’s move
Sanjay Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party criticized Prime Minister Modi, calling him “Gabbar Singh”.
Addressing the
He added: “Brother Jabbar Singh, did you catch the paper thieves in 2024? The CBI did not even file the chargesheet on time and all the ‘paper thieves’ were released.”
AAP’s Manish Sisodia also criticized the Prime Minister, saying, “In a sense.. such a huge scandal has broken out, many children have committed suicide due to your failure to leak papers, frauds have been exposed in almost every exam in the country, and the GenZ of the entire country has taken to the streets demanding the resignation of the Education Minister..”
He added: “And you say that – by setting up speedy courts, you will punish the petty crooks below, those four private pawns. But you will not let the heat of the investigation touch your dear minister.”
“Is it possible, Mr. Moody, for this card game to be run from your office?”
Delhi University in support
Delhi University welcomed the move to set up fast-track courts, saying it would ensure “exemplary” punishment for those involved in paper leaks. She added that this step taken by Prime Minister Modi shows that the government puts “youth” at the heart of its work.
The university said in a post on the
The university also urged climate activist Sonam Wangchuk to end his hunger strike.
“In the spirit of harmony and healing, we strongly request Mr. Sonam Wangchuk Ji to end his fast for the benefit of our students. The future of our students is the future of our nation.”
Amit Shah applauds the move
The announcement also received praise from Home Minister Amit Shah, who described the announcement of fast-track courts as a “reflection” of the Prime Minister’s commitment to the future of the youth.
Several other Union ministers, including Rajnath Singh, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Nirmala Sitharaman, also welcomed the move.
“The welfare of youth and their bright future is the top priority and resolve of the Modi government. The decision to expedite hearings and take strict action against those guilty in paper leak cases by setting up fast-track courts by the Prime Minister is a reflection of this very commitment,” Shah said in a post on X.
The Justice and Development Party calls for nationwide protests
Amid continuing incitement against the government and demands for the resignation of the Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan, Cockroach Janta Party, on Thursday called for a nationwide peaceful protest on July 24 for victims of police brutality across India.
Supporters continue to gather in large numbers at the Jantar Mantar site as protests continue for the 34th day today (Thursday). Hundreds of demonstrators also gathered across the country in solidarity with the AKP’s cause. Protest too Still seeing support For many actors and leaders.
Karishma Ayaldassani is a content producer Senior at Hindustan Times, based in New Delhi, where she works with the digital team on fast-moving breaking stories from India and around the world. She enjoys covering national and global news, with an emphasis on providing updates quickly and clearly so readers can understand what’s happening as it unfolds. She is comfortable in high-pressure newsroom settings, and regularly contributes live blogs, explainers and real-time coverage. Before joining Hindustan Times, she was part of the digital team at The Indian Express, worked with the social media team at Firstpost, and spent time as a creative strategist at Clematis Advertising. Outside of work, she loves exploring different art forms and relaxing with music. With more than three years of experience in fast-paced newsrooms, she brings curiosity, clarity and consistency to her work.Read more
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