New Delhi [India], July 29 (ANI): Launching a sharp offensive against Union Minister Pralhad Joshi over the NEET paper leak controversy, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kirti Azad on Wednesday dared the Minister to file a defamation suit, asserting that the allegations made against the administration were true and highlighting that the exam compromise occurred despite existing legal frameworks.

Azad challenged Joshi to reflect on his complaint, stating, 'Go ahead and sue for defamation. After all, what was said was true,' while further accusing the ruling dispensation of ignoring pressing national issues like education, unemployment, and fuel prices in favour of communal polarisation.

Speaking to reporters here, Azad slammed Union Minister Pralhad Joshi for invoking legal provisions regarding the exam issue. 'He talks about the law. Legally speaking, the NEET paper leak shouldn't have happened, yet it took place after the laws were already in place,' Azad said.

He further condemned comments made by BJP parliamentarians regarding student protesters, stating, 'Look at the vile things their MPs have said about students. One of their MPs, a film actress, called the students 'gutter-class'... that is the kind of language they use. Before that, they were accused of being funded by China and America. I thank these young people for the way they stepped forward, fought for their rights, and secured them, making the government bow down.'

Advising Pralhad Joshi to re-evaluate his stance, Azad added, 'Pralhad Joshi should first reflect on the complaint he has filed--go ahead and sue for defamation. After all, what was said was true.'

Taking a broader swipe at the Central government's governance track record, the TMC leader alleged that the ruling party focuses on communal polarisation instead of addressing core public issues.

'You see everything only through the lens of Hindu versus Muslim. That is why you have no answers regarding education, unemployment, or the prices of petrol and diesel,' Azad remarked.

He also cited issues regarding temple donations, alleging, 'They collected donations in the name of Lord Ram, yet they misappropriated those very funds.'

Raising concerns over public education infrastructure, Azad urged the Education Minister to take concrete steps. 'I hope the Education Minister will actually do some work. 1,000,000 government primary schools have shut down, and 80,000 government schools lack basic toilet facilities,' he claimed.

Addressing the issue of dissident parliamentarians within the TMC, Azad firmly rejected the 'rebel' tag for defectors, demanding swift disqualification.

'These individuals are traitors, not rebels. Their membership should be cancelled immediately, as they are openly defecting. The Speaker has not yet designated them as a separate group, nor have they received official recognition. Therefore, the membership of these TMC traitors must be cancelled immediately,' he urged.

MP Kirti Azad launched a scathing attack on the Centre, drawing parallels between the handling of recent student protests and the 2016 pellet gun usage in Kashmir, while accusing the ruling dispensation of undermining the country's educational infrastructure.

Azad highlighted the growing international scrutiny over domestic issues. 'When pellet guns were used in Kashmir in 2016, it became international news, and international human rights commissions raised serious concerns. A similar situation has unfolded here, becoming international news with protests abroad against the government's actions,' Azad stated.

Azad also extended firm support to Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge's recent statements regarding the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and BJP. 'Priyank Kharge is right; it is part of recorded history. For over 50 years, the national flag was not hoisted at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur,' he alleged, adding that those who played no role in the freedom struggle have no right to lecture others on patriotism.

Turning his focus on party turncoats and political defections, Azad called for strict parliamentary action.

'These individuals are not rebels; they are traitors who have betrayed the mandate. True rebels were those like my father and millions of freedom fighters who fought against British rule,' Azad said. 'Their membership should be cancelled immediately by the Speaker. They have stabbed their own parties in the back for personal gain.'

Earlier, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram called the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill 'pointless' and said it 'only increases penalties, prison terms and prescribes time limits for trials and special courts.

Speaking to ANI outside the Parliament, he said, 'This bill, if anybody has read it, is pointless. This bill is like closing the stable doors after the horses have bolted... This bill is only increasing penalties, increasing prison terms, and prescribes time limits for trials and special courts. Everybody knows that penalty and punishment don't necessarily deter wrongdoing and crime... The special courts also need a certain infrastructure... What really needs to be done is the reformation of the examination process, which is the NTA... This law is not going to prevent leaks because the preparatory market is worth lakhs of crores. So they have a vested interest to penetrate the NTA...'

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq said that the opposition is always ready for the discussion.

'The opposition was always ready for the discussion... We hope that the government will now fulfil its promise of justice... We don't have a lot of expectations from the government. The reason for this is that there's a difference between what the government does and what it says... Since those who were jailed haven't been released, and the government is stubbornly insistent on taking action, we protest this and demand that the government fulfil its promises. Otherwise, in the future, the entire nation will lose faith in the BJP government,' SP MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq said.

The Minister of State for the PMO Jitendra Singh moved the Amendment Bill to the 2024 Act for discussion in the Lok Sabha, in the backdrop of the widespread protests over the NEET-UG paper leak. (ANI)