Bengaluru, 26 July

Celebratory demonstrations continued Bengaluru on Sunday, a day after the weeks-long youth-led “cockroach” protesters forced union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign. Massive protests were held for nearly a full consecutive week at Freedom Park in the lead up to Pradhan’s resignation over the NEET leak issue.

The celebrations included music performances as protesters criticised the Centre and demanded accountability from representatives. In Gen Z fashion, they held up posters that poked fun at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pradhan and other officials.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka said that the Congress was displaying “political hypocrisy" after Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that Deputy Commissioners (DCs) of districts will be held accountable for question paper leaks henceforth.

He asked why accountability travels downwards in places where the Congress is in power.

"Rahul Gandhi. Priyanka Gandhi. DK Shivakumar. Three faces. One hypocrisy. In Delhi, the Congress ecosystem demands resignations and lectures the nation on accountability. In Karnataka, the same Congress government has exposed its real mindset," Ashoka posted on X.

Alleging that Shivakumar is not talking about preventingfuture question paper leaks, making recruitment systems tamper-proof, and protecting the aspirations of students, he said, "Instead, his first instinct is to announce that Deputy Commissioners will be held accountable, a ready-made scapegoat for every future failure."

"This is the Congress model: Protect the political class. Pass the blame down the chain," he added.

"One country. Two standards. Moral lectures for Delhi. Bureaucratic scapegoats for Karnataka. That is not accountability. That is political hypocrisy at its worst," he added.

Similarly, State BJP President said that the State government failed to implement meaningful reforms in the functioning of the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) and the conduct of competitive examinations amid the recent veterinary doctor scam.

He alleged that the Congress government shifts responsibility by claiming that KPSC is an autonomous body to avoid accountability. The BJP, he said, would strongly raise these issues in the Legislature.