Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked National Democratic Alliance (NDA) lawmakers to reach out to youth, allay their fears and make them aware of the Opposition’s attempts to create fear, people familiar with the details said. He also called for tougher punishment for those involved in the paper leaks so that the “danger” is not repeated.
In his first remarks on examination irregularities and leaks of National Eligibility Test (NEET) questions, Modi called for strong action against those involved so that no one plays with the future of the youth.
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The comments came a day after massive student protests demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan rocked the capital, in one of the biggest protests in recent years as tens of thousands of people marched to Parliament, braving police batons, tear gas and dozens of barricades.
“The Prime Minister said there was a need to gain the trust of the youth… The paper leaks were a huge inconvenience for them, but the re-examination was done without any glitch. The ‘durandhar’ (brave) lawyers should ensure that maximum punishment is imposed on those involved in the paper leaks,” said a person familiar with the details.
The Prime Minister was addressing the parliamentary party meeting of the NDA, now called Mangal Milan. He told the lawmakers that they must be assured that the interests of students will be protected and those responsible for paper leaks will be dealt with in accordance with the law.
“He said that the people who were arrested would be punished with the harshest punishments… but the students must be made aware of the opposition’s plots,” the person quoted above said.
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Risk of paper leakage
A third person familiar with the details said the Prime Minister noted that no country was left untouched by the “menace run by gangs” and that there was a need to ensure “every one of them is punished”. “He said the government has taken (immediate) action and we need strict punishment for the accused,” the third person said.
The first day of the monsoon session was rocked by massive protests inside and outside Parliament as a phalanx of agitators marched through central Delhi demanding Pradhan’s resignation and the opposition sought to besiege the government inside the House. The crowds swelled over the weekend, and by Monday morning, queues of people – many of them students, first-time agitators and young professionals – braved persistent monsoon rains and heavy police barriers to join the first public protest of Modi’s third term.
Youth achievements, example Skyroot
The Prime Minister said that the achievements of youth should be emulated and achievers should be seen as role models.
“The Prime Minister emphasized that the youth of this country are making significant contributions in various sectors from IT and AI to the space sector. He cited the example of how he saw the achievements of India’s youth during a visit to Paris. Referring to Skyroot (Aerospace’s first orbital launch of Vikram-1, India’s first specially developed launch vehicle), he said that the 28-year-olds have done such amazing work and by the time they turn 56, they will achieve much more unlike some leaders today…” said a second leader familiar with the matter. On the details. The age reference was a pot shot at Congressman Rahul Gandhi.
Rijiju on the Prime Minister’s message
Speaking to the media about the meeting, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the Prime Minister informed the NDA leaders that the strongest possible steps are being taken to protect the interests of the students; Likewise, all farmers’ interests are protected in trade agreements, he added.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Prime Minister told MPs that the government acted immediately after reports of NEET paper leak emerged and 13 people were arrested and sent to jail. “At the same time, the Prime Minister noted that to ensure that the future of students is not affected, priority was given to re-testing of NEET, it was conducted successfully, and the results were announced without delay,” Rijiju said after the hour-long meeting.
“…The Prime Minister gave directions to everyone…It was a very productive meeting. He addressed many important issues and gave his directions. He highlighted the successes achieved by the country in recent months and spoke about the free trade agreements signed with different countries,” Rijiju added.
The minister said that the Prime Minister stressed that the interests of farmers would be a priority and assured that no harm would be caused to them. “He stated that the welfare of farmers remains paramount in any free trade agreement signed with any country, ensuring that such agreements serve the best interests of both the farmers and the nation,” Rijiju said. The meeting was attended by NDA MPs, including six MPs who recently joined the Shiv Sena.
Rebel TMC representatives await approval
The rebel TMC MPs who joined the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) were not part of the NDA as they were yet to formally join the alliance. Kakoli Dasgupta and Sudeep Bandhopadhyay said they are awaiting the Lok Sabha Speaker’s approval for their proposed merger with NCPI and hope to be able to attend the NDA meeting next week.
“We will attend the NDA meeting next Tuesday. We could not attend the meeting today. But we are hopeful that the Lok Sabha Speaker will approve our merger by this week,” Sudip Bandopadhyay, leader of the rebel group’s Lok Sabha bloc, told HT.
