Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA for felicitating former education minister Dharmendra Pradhan in Parliament, saying the gesture was inappropriate given the controversy surrounding examination paper leaks during his tenure.

Pradhan, who recently stepped down as education minister following sustained protests over alleged exam irregularities, especially the NEET paper leak issue, was welcomed with loud cheers by NDA MPs when he attended Parliament on Monday.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Gogoi said the celebration sent the wrong message at a time when students had been demanding accountability.

Also Read | Vijay says Centre ‘must respect the sentiments’ on NEET, calls for exam to be scrapped

“Twenty-one students lost their lives by suicide. Aren’t you ashamed? The minister under whose tenure 21 children lost their lives resigned, but when he came to the House yesterday, you garlanded him as though he had returned after fighting a war with Pakistan. You honoured him as if he had returned victorious from the border,” Gogoi said.

Congress questions effectiveness of proposed anti-paper leak measures

During his speech, Gogoi also challenged the government’s approach to tackling examination paper leaks. He argued that the existing law introduced in 2024 had failed to stop such incidents and claimed the proposed legislation would not solve the core problem either.

BJP-NDA MPs Welcome Former Union Education Minister and BJP MP Dharmendra Pradhan at Parliament During Monsoon Session
ZOOM IMAGE
BJP-NDA MPs Welcome Former Union Education Minister and BJP MP Dharmendra Pradhan at Parliament During Monsoon Session | ANI

“This law had failed then, and the law that you are bringing today will also fail. This law is a monument to your failure,” he said.

Questioning the government’s record, Gogoi added, “If the law had been effective, how did such a massive paper leak happen again in 2026, just two years later?”

Gogoi cites accused who secured bail in alleged NEET paper leak case

The Congress leader referred to the alleged NEET paper leak investigation and named several accused who were later granted bail. He claimed that Sanjeev Mukhiya remained absconding for 11 months before being arrested in April 2025 and was subsequently released on bail. Gogoi also named Ranjit Kumar Barua, Amit Kumar Singh, Pankaj Kumar and Rakesh as accused who were granted bail in 2025 in connection with the alleged case.

Former minister’s 2024 remarks also come under attack

Gogoi further criticised Pradhan’s response when the controversy first surfaced in 2024. According to the Congress MP, the former education minister initially rejected allegations of any paper leak.

“When the paper leak issue came up across the country in 2024, do you know what Dharmendra Pradhan said? He asked, ‘Where did the paper leak happen? There was no paper leak,'” Gogoi said.

Also Read | ‘Govt has guaranteed’: CJP says more states may issue protest relief notifications after Bihar and Assam

He further alleged, “Even for the first two-and-a-half months, the government’s stand was that there had been no irregularities and that it had done an excellent job.”

Pradhan announced his resignation as education minister on July 25 after more than a month of protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) from Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, where demonstrators had demanded government accountability over alleged examination irregularities, particularly the NEET paper leak issue.

FAQs:

Why did Congress criticise Dharmendra Pradhan’s felicitation in Parliament?

Congress said honouring Dharmendra Pradhan after his resignation over the NEET paper leak controversy sent the wrong message to students.

What did Gaurav Gogoi say about Dharmendra Pradhan’s Parliament welcome?

Gaurav Gogoi said Pradhan was garlanded “as if he had returned after fighting a war with Pakistan”, while attacking the government’s handling of exam paper leaks.