'Dharmendra Pradhan is symbol of corruption': Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday criticised Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the manner in which NDA MPs welcomed former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to Parliament, claiming that he will always remain a symbol of "corruption" and "India's ruined education system."

In a post on X, Gandhi alleged that felicitating Pradhan in Parliament amounted to celebrating the destruction of the future of lakhs of students.

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"Dharmendra Pradhan is, and will always remain, the symbol of corruption and India's ruined education system. It is that very system that took the lives of 26 children and forced lakhs of youth onto the streets. His resignation did not come out of morality - it was forced out of fear of the youth's rage. And today, the BJP is garlanding that same person inside Parliament. This is not an honour--it is a celebration of ruining the futures of lakhs of children. Every student in the country is watching this. And they will remember every face involved in this," Gandhi said.

His remarks came after BJP and NDA MPs raised slogans of "Dharmendra Pradhan zindabad" and felicitated the former Education Minister upon his arrival in Parliament.

Pradhan resigned from the Union Cabinet on Saturday following widespread protests over the alleged NEET paper leak and concerns over irregularities in the country's examination system.

The development comes as the Centre on Monday introduced the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill in Parliament, aimed at strengthening measures to curb paper leaks and examination malpractices.

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The resignation and the introduction of the amendment bill followed weeks of nationwide protests by students demanding accountability and reforms in the examination system. While the Centre has announced a series of measures to address the issue, Opposition parties have continued to press the government over the handling of the protests, alleged police action against students, and accountability over the examination controversy.