New Delhi, 22 July

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday led the Opposition attack on the government over the exam paper leak issue in the Lok Sabha, saying there is a very serious problem in the country's exam system and that Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has blamed everybody except himself for it.

Under opposition fire, Pradhan said that he was "here at the mercy of my leader, the prime minister" and that his government is collectively answerable. The minister also asserted that there has been no evidence of paper leaks in the last seven years.

As the Opposition sought to corner the government on the issue of paper leaks, Speaker Om Birla said it is not right to raise questions about all exams and members should discuss the need of developing a better examination system.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing alleged irregularities in the medical entrance exam NEET and has lodged six FIRs. The NEET-UG is conducted by the National Testing Agency for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions.

Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said it is obvious to the whole country that there is a very serious problem in the examination system, not just in NEET but in all major examinations. "The minister has blamed everybody except himself. I don't even think he understands the fundamentals of what is going on here... the issue is there are millions of students in this country who are extremely concerned about what is going on and who are convinced that the Indian examination system is a fraud," he said.

If you are rich and have money, you can buy the Indian examination system, Gandhi alleged. "As this is a systemic issue, what exactly are you doing to fix this issue at the systemic level?" he asked Pradhan, who was responding to queries during Question Hour.

A visibly peeved Pradhan said it was unfortunate that the member described the examination system as rubbish. "There is no evidence of paper leaks in the last seven years in any numbers...," Pradhan said in response to Congress member Manickam Tagore mentioning that there have been 70 paper leaks in seven years.

Since setting up the NTA, more than 240 examinations have been conducted, more than five crore students applied and more than 4.5 crore students participated, the minister said. Tagore wanted to know about the steps taken to address the issue of exam paper leaks and wondered whether the minister will resign.

In response, Pradhan said, "I am here at the mercy of my leader, the prime minister, and whenever accountability comes, my government is collectively answerable to that". Regarding alleged anomalies and malpractices, Pradhan asserted, "We are hiding nothing... everything is on record."

The speaker stressed that there should be constructive discussions on the issue. If questions are raised about all examinations in the country, it have an impact on the Indian education system and perception about it around the world, he noted.

The CBI is probing the issue of exam paper leaks and the Supreme Court is also looking into the matter. "We should look at developing a better system... it is not right to raise questions about all examinations," he said.

After the Speaker concluded his remarks, Gandhi wanted to speak but was disallowed. Gandhi and almost the entire Opposition members, including from TMC and DMK, walked out of the House.

Congress Deputy Leader in the House Gaurav Gogoi raised slogans demanding the resignation of Pradhan.

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav also raised questions about the exam paper leaks and claimed that the government will make a record on the issue. "This government will make a record of paper leaks. The NTA should publish list of centres where high number of students have performed well...how is this possible that students from particular centres have done far better than others," Yadav questioned.

Pradhan said students from across the country have come out as meritorious candidates. "Students from Kerala have also done well, should we now say that there is some wrongdoing there also?" the Education Minister asked.