- 10 minutes ago
BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad accused opposition parties of politicising the NEET paper leak issue for political gains instead of focusing on students' concerns.
Category
ЁЯЧЮ
NewsTranscript
00:03Good evening, you're watching Newstrap with me, Maria Shaquille.
00:06The neat firestorm is now raging from the streets to sunset.
00:11Congress MPs protest in black.
00:14Parliament faces repeated adjournments.
00:16Rahul Gandhi demands Darmendra Pradhan's resignation,
00:21while Akhilesh Yadav wants the Prime Minister to speak.
00:23The government is reaching out, but CJP says talks only on its terms at a neutral venue,
00:32with Darmendra Pradhan's resignation still a red line.
00:36And from the hospital, Sonam Vangchuk has penned a fresh letter demanding justice for students,
00:43no action against protesters, and warning his indefinite fast will continue without an assurance.
00:52Dialogue is on the table, but the deadlock certainly is far from over.
00:58I'll have two parliamentarians joining me shortly, but first up, here's what happened today.
01:09Democracy in India is happening right now.
01:14From protests and anger on the street of the capital to deadlock in the parliament.
01:19Neat firestorm has taken the country by a storm.
01:22But there seems to be a division in the voices in the opposition.
01:30Black was the colour of protest in parliament as Congress MPs intensified the offensive.
01:37Slogans and protests triggered repeated adjournments and deepened the logjam.
01:41Even as the centre assured the opposition, it was ready for a full debate.
01:46After three hour dharna outside Prime Minister's house, leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi stepped up the offensive.
01:53Wearing a black armband in solidarity with students, he demanded education ministers' resignation,
02:00accountability for the police brutality against students, and an apology from Prime Minister Modi.
02:08Dharmendra Pradhan, who has failed as an education minister, who is known to be corrupt, should be relieved of his
02:22duties.
02:24100% legitimate demand.
02:26Nothing wrong with it.
02:28But Akhilesh Yadav is striking a different note.
02:32The SP chief says, need is bigger than politics.
02:52On the streets, the CJP is refusing to blink.
02:56The government has reached out again, but the protesters rejected talks at Nadda's residence.
03:01And their red lines remain unchanged.
03:05Pradhan must resign.
03:09What happens if Dharmendra Pradhan doesn't resign?
03:12The protests will continue.
03:13The protest is going larger.
03:14There are protests across the country.
03:17And this protest is going to become bigger and bigger.
03:21But from his hospital bed, Sonam Vangchuk is signaling a different path.
03:26In a letter to government, he said, don't act against protesters.
03:30Calling the sunset march peaceful, he says, give an assurance of fast continues.
03:35For the government, the stance is clear.
03:38That they want dialogue.
03:41Union ministers met Sonam Vangchuk, JP Nadda met CJP spokesperson.
03:46Sources say the government agreed to a paper leak debate.
03:49And parliament affairs minister reiterated that the government is ready for discussion.
04:07Four voices, different demands, but one neat firestorm.
04:12The government says its doors are open for dialogue.
04:15But with neither side willing to blink, the streets remain restless and parliament remains deadlocked.
04:23Videshwarya Paliwal, Moshimi Singh, Bureau Report, India Today.
04:28Viva God! Viva God!
04:31Joining me first on the show is senior BJP leader and former union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad,
04:37who held a press conference earlier today against Rahul Gandhi,
04:40holding that protest in front of the prime minister's residence yesterday.
04:44Mr. Prasad, Rahul Gandhi has intensified his attack.
04:47And during the course of a press conference today, his first demand is resignation of the education minister.
04:55You called Rahul Gandhi's protest march irresponsible.
04:59But isn't the real irresponsibility the government's failure to secure exams and deliver justice to students?
05:09I still hold the same view.
05:12I raised those concerns because he chose to sit in front of the secure gate of the residence of the
05:20prime minister.
05:22His father, his grandmother, his great-grandfather all have been prime minister.
05:27And he knows the decorum, the protocol and security needs of the residence of the prime minister.
05:35And without informing, in a surreptitious manner, he walked from the residence of Mr. Kargay.
05:42All of you know it.
05:43This is not done.
05:44He's the leader of opposition.
05:45It is irresponsible behavior.
05:48Now, coming to the neat part for your viewers,
05:52Maria, I must explain something.
05:55Something wrong was found.
05:57Exam was canceled.
05:58Without any extra fee, re-examination was done in the entire country, without any perceptible deviations.
06:07Results have come.
06:0956% students have passed.
06:1158% are female candidates, girl students.
06:17You have seen that.
06:18And who did wrong earlier?
06:21They have been arrested.
06:22The prime minister has appealed that toughest action should be given to them.
06:26The point is that prime minister also raised an important issue yesterday in the meeting of the parliamentarians,
06:31NDA parliamentarians, that this issue of leak in question papers is not a center phenomenon.
06:41A syndicate works all over the country.
06:44The center and the state have to work together.
06:47Do I need to tell you what happened in Rajasthan?
06:50What happened in Uttar Pradesh when Mr. Akhilesh Adho was the chief minister?
06:55What happened in Andhra Pradesh?
06:57Let us not do name callings.
07:01But what I am telling you, students are ours.
07:05Their concerns we need to address.
07:07But a one-up-manship of the political leaders.
07:12Mr. Akhilesh Adho felt left out.
07:14Today he has shown his anger in the parliament on the speaker.
07:17Ki mujhe kyo nahi bolnete khali Rahul Gandhi ko kyo bolte hain.
07:21Sanjay Singh of the aap publicly berated Mr. Rahul Gandhi and Congress party.
07:25So this political one-up-manship because of UPA elections and others is quite evident.
07:33Mr. Prasad, you are highlighting the differences within the opposition, sir.
07:39But when you talk about neat paper leak,
07:42that was one of the issues that you had raised before 2014 elections.
07:46You have been in power for 12 years.
07:49Could you have not brought in some kind of a system to ensure that the entire examination system is foolproof?
08:01There are two issues.
08:03A, lot of improvement was done.
08:07But, Maria, what would you do that all the paper setters who are working for the last 10-15 years
08:15suddenly lose their ethical and moral standards?
08:19That is unfortunate.
08:21It was not a case of leak per se.
08:23It was a case of some trusted question setters and translators who have deviated
08:31and they have been arrested.
08:32Action has been taken.
08:34From next year, it is going to be computerized completely.
08:37And again, I am telling you, the same government of India,
08:40along with the state governments,
08:42re-held the examination with foolproof arrangement
08:46and the results came which I talked about earlier.
08:48But I again repeat,
08:50all of us need to work as far as improvement in the educational system is concerned,
08:56particularly in examination.
08:57But what to do
08:58when the alibi of paper leak or NEET
09:03becomes a ground for political one-upmanship?
09:07That is my very serious charge.
09:10And the way Mr. Rahul Gandhi is behaving,
09:15others are behaving.
09:17That is not fair.
09:19Now, one more issue I would like to highlight, Maria.
09:22And thatтАж
09:22Yes, go ahead.
09:24Go ahead.
09:24Sir, you know, you have made a point about Rahul Gandhi's conduct.
09:28But, sir, you know, the larger question is also that the protesting students
09:32have been sitting on that dhanna at Jantar Mantar for days now.
09:38The government reached out to them.
09:40There was one round of talks.
09:41Perhaps there is another round of talk which happened today.
09:43But, sir, could you have made that effort
09:47to appear to be listening to the demands of the students?
09:53Did this outreach happen too late, sir?
09:55Maria, ye bachcheтАж
09:58Maria, ye bachche humare hai.
10:01And all of us stand with them.
10:04I repeat, all of us stand with them.
10:08And if there is a concern, those concerns need to be addressed.
10:12The government was reaching out to them.
10:15Again, today discussions have gone.
10:17Ministers have gone.
10:18Others have gone.
10:20Even Mr. Nadda, I understand, went to meet Mr. Wangchuk also.
10:24He is also in correspondence.
10:27What I am trying to tell you that while the students' concern
10:33needs to be on a priority basis,
10:35and what we have done needs to be conveyed to them,
10:38some of which I have just outlined before you.
10:41But can we deny, Maria,
10:44that many of these aandolan GVs are the same
10:49who always appear with alarming regularity,
10:53whether there is a farmer protest or there is other protest
10:55or the restless strike.
10:59The same people.
11:01Today, what kind of slogans have been raised?
11:03Khalid, Mirza must be released.
11:07Derogatory comments against Lord Ram.
11:09Nepal bana deenge.
11:11Kya matlabaiska?
11:13Therefore, I am sorry.
11:15Those are not students
11:17who had come with a request and demand to improve the system.
11:22They were extraneous, highly detrimental forces.
11:27And therefore, today, in the manner in which the entire problem is happening in the country,
11:31including in my, our city of Patna,
11:36people come and start mobocracy.
11:39Therefore, there are forces behind it.
11:41I again repeat, there are forces behind it.
11:44While we completely agree with you
11:47that genuine students' concern needs to be addressed
11:50without fail,
11:52and the government is trying its best to do that.
11:54But as far as extraneous forces are concerned,
11:57surely, they need to be taken to task.
12:00You spoke about Sonam, Varchu.
12:14But those who have been repeatedly repudiated by popular will
12:19cannot hijack democratic process in this manner.
12:24And that I say so with full sense of responsibility.
12:26And those who have been repelled in their political quest
12:30cannot seek to hijack the political system
12:34to the corridors of court.
12:36Genuine grievances need to be addressed.
12:38I hope you understand what I am trying to convey.
12:41Sir, as the former law minister
12:42and also a senior advocate of the Supreme Court,
12:45you would agree that the right to protest
12:47with reasonable restriction
12:49is the right of every citizen,
12:52be it the politicians or the students?
12:55Without fail.
12:57Without fail.
12:59But if a particular issue is raised by the students,
13:05others who come and hijack it,
13:07which is happening,
13:08and added with one-upmanship,
13:11yeh badh gaya toh mein kyo piche rahe gaya?
13:14yeh nahin chalega.
13:16And if that is there,
13:17surely there will be opposition.
13:19And again, I repeat, Maria,
13:22now we know all the details,
13:24the kind of people who came there,
13:26the kind of slogans which will raise there,
13:28many of them have been shown by television,
13:31including yours,
13:33that says a lot about
13:34a lot of extraneous forces also working.
13:38All right.
13:39Ravi Shankar Prasant,
13:40always a pleasure speaking to you, sir.
13:42Thank you for your time here.
13:47And joining me now is a senior Congress leader,
13:50Renuka Chaudhary.
13:52Ms. Chaudhary,
13:53several of your clips
13:55questioning the government
13:56and its response with regards to the protesting students
13:59have gone viral.
14:01So I want to understand from you, ma'am,
14:03is opposition today a divided house?
14:05The reason why I'm saying is
14:07that Akhilesh Yadav today
14:09has been very, very vociferous in parliament
14:13in which he said that there appears to be
14:15some kind of understanding or deal
14:17between the Congress and the BJP
14:20and he has not been given a chance to speak.
14:22This is very different from what we saw yesterday
14:25when he was standing with Rahul Gandhi
14:28in front of 7LKM
14:30and all of you in that protest.
14:38It's a bit surprising that he said that
14:41because Akhilesh Yadav is a very intelligent man
14:47and I don't think he's questioning
14:50the intent of the Congress,
14:51but something must have gone wrong
14:53with the Speaker's office.
14:56We don't know what's been conveyed to him
14:58and I'd like to believe that
15:00it's not going to come in the way
15:02of our collective action forward.
15:07Ma'am, let me ask you my next question
15:09and this is with regards to what Sonam Wanchuk
15:13has written to the union ministers
15:17who went to meet him.
15:19He has said that he is ready to end his fast
15:22if there is an assurance that has come,
15:24if the government gives an assurance
15:26that there will be discussion
15:27and also that all those students
15:29who participated in the protest
15:31will not be punished.
15:34His words are that
15:36even that consideration of the resignation
15:38of the union minister is good enough.
15:40So are we to believe that
15:42there is some kind of difference
15:43in terms of demands?
15:45Rahul Gandhi today made
15:47the resignation of Darmeen Pradhan
15:49his demand number one.
15:51Sonam Wanchuk, who has been on this fast
15:54for almost like 25 plus days,
15:56says that even the consideration
15:58of resignation is important.
16:00That's good enough for him
16:01to end his fast.
16:03But his primary demand
16:04is an assurance
16:05that those students
16:06who participated in the protest
16:08will not be punished.
16:09There will be no punitive action.
16:15I think all of them are fair demands.
16:18Rahul Gandhi is only resonating
16:21what the children have said,
16:23the young people have said till today.
16:26The demand, the whole chaos
16:31that started was making this demand
16:34that the resignation
16:35of the concerned minister
16:37should happen.
16:38As I believe it should.
16:39Why is a man,
16:42a single person
16:43whose repeated failures,
16:45inability to deliver,
16:46inability to conduct
16:48a single exam,
16:50why is he more valuable
16:51to the government
16:52than bringing about
16:53a peace and order?
16:55The government has placed him
16:57above the wants and needs
16:59of what has happened
17:00with the young people,
17:02the police atrocities.
17:03You had people sitting in cars
17:06with weapons drawn.
17:08I am not going to accept that.
17:11Party or no party.
17:14This is beyond any limits
17:17of decency or democracy
17:19that you actually have people
17:21sitting there.
17:22There are videos of how
17:24the rapid action force
17:26is deliberately sticking
17:27their legs out
17:28and toppling the children
17:29and then smashing them.
17:30We were sitting in parliament.
17:33We were alarmed to hear
17:35that there were shots
17:36of the smoke,
17:38the tear gas
17:39that was being shot
17:40at the children,
17:42water cannons.
17:43Seriously?
17:44I mean, hello.
17:46So that was the demand
17:48of the young people,
17:50the students who said,
17:51get him out of the way.
17:54Get Darminder Pradhan
17:56out of the way
17:57because he is to be
17:59held responsible
18:00or let the government
18:01go then.
18:02And the government
18:03has valued his presence
18:05much more.
18:06So what Rahul Gandhi
18:07has done,
18:08he has echoed
18:09and resonated
18:11what the young people
18:12demanded and wanted.
18:14Now, in Sonam Vanchuk's case,
18:17we are all collectively
18:19deeply concerned
18:20for his health.
18:21It's more than 21 days today.
18:24So, of course,
18:25he'll say,
18:26at least give me
18:27an assurance
18:28that his whole
18:2921-day fast
18:31doesn't go to naught
18:32because by the time
18:33this government
18:33wakes up
18:35and learns
18:36to get their brains
18:37creaking
18:37and get going
18:39and give,
18:40do something
18:41about the resignation,
18:43you'll have a man
18:44whose life is precious
18:46and his health
18:47is dwindling.
18:49You know,
18:50Relu Kanji...
18:50Let us respect
18:52Mr. Vanchuk.
18:53The concern certainly is
18:54of how
18:56the young people
18:58of our country
18:59will have the faith
19:00in the education system.
19:02For restoring that faith,
19:05the Indian parliament
19:06must debate.
19:07But the Congress party
19:09wants resignation first
19:10and then an apology
19:13from the Prime Minister
19:14and then the discussion.
19:16Shouldn't it be about
19:17discussion
19:18and an assurance
19:19on the floor of the House
19:20by the government?
19:22Shouldn't the opposition
19:23be demanding that?
19:29Tell me.
19:29Are we going to be dictated
19:31by what the media
19:32think is right
19:32or something else is right?
19:34How long does it take
19:35to get a minister
19:36to resign?
19:37Please tell me.
19:38Have we said,
19:38no,
19:39there should not be
19:39a discussion?
19:40No,
19:40we do want a discussion.
19:42We want to be able
19:44to point out
19:44the aberrations
19:45and the extremities
19:48that this government
19:48has gone to.
19:50We do want to discuss
19:51the violation
19:52of democratic parts.
19:54We were held hostage
19:55as members of parliament
19:56in the House
19:57where our WhatsApps
19:59were closed
19:59and the gates
20:00were closed
20:00and we were told
20:01it's Prime Minister's movement
20:03and so nobody could leave
20:04the entire periphery
20:06of parliament
20:06and all the gates
20:07were closed.
20:07I find that objectionable.
20:10I want to file
20:11a privileged motion
20:12against the government.
20:14Do you think
20:15the speaker's
20:16going to accept that?
20:18Do you think
20:18they'll actually allow it?
20:21But that is what happened.
20:23I mean,
20:24look at,
20:24look at the,
20:26the scale
20:27of what happened
20:28yesterday
20:28or day before
20:30and the children
20:31were thrashed
20:32ruthlessly,
20:34brutally.
20:35There's one girl
20:36battling for her life.
20:37What was her fault?
20:38That she wanted
20:39Mr. Pradhan
20:40to resign.
20:41Isn't it?
20:42Isn't that
20:42what the young people said?
20:44So now don't try
20:46and put it on to us
20:47saying that we are
20:48saying this first
20:49or that second.
20:50Everything can happen
20:51simultaneously.
20:52Pradhan resigns
20:53in the morning.
20:53The parliament
20:54will function.
20:55The entire discussion
20:56can carry on
20:56for 50 days
20:57for all that I care.
20:59Why can't it happen
21:00like that?
21:01Why is it either
21:02or?
21:04Okay.
21:05Why should it be like that?
21:06Fair enough.
21:07What you are saying
21:09certainly
21:11is what the Congress
21:13Party is thinking
21:14at the moment.
21:15But, you know,
21:17I'm looking at
21:18the latest
21:20demand of the
21:21Kokoro Janata Party
21:22which started
21:23these protests
21:24and they are insisting
21:25on Dharmendra Pradhan's
21:26resignation.
21:28You know,
21:29the Congress Party
21:30is saying the same.
21:31Rahul Gandhi said so.
21:32my point is
21:33what is going to
21:35happen in these
21:35protests?
21:36Is the Congress
21:38now ready to
21:39escalate it further
21:40after what we saw
21:41yesterday?
21:41The BJP says
21:43that the conduct
21:43of the leader
21:44of opposition
21:45who held protests
21:47in front of the
21:48Prime Minister's
21:48residence
21:49was irresponsible.
21:55By whose standards?
21:57How much
21:59amazing
21:59responsibility
22:00this government
22:01showed
22:02when Parliament
22:03is on
22:04and children
22:04are marching
22:05towards that
22:05that they want
22:06to bombard them
22:07with tear gas
22:09that they want
22:10to assault them
22:11they want to
22:12batter them
22:13they want to
22:14injure them
22:14that's an act
22:15of responsibility.
22:17Wow!
22:18And what are we
22:18supposed to do?
22:19Say yes sir
22:20no sir
22:21three bags full
22:22sir in Parliament
22:23while children
22:24are being thrashed
22:25outside Parliament
22:26because they wanted
22:27to come up
22:27to Parliament.
22:28You think
22:29they don't have
22:29the right to
22:30come to Parliament?
22:30Where else
22:31will these children
22:32go?
22:33They have asked
22:33they have pleaded
22:34they have begged
22:34they have written
22:35they have raised
22:36their voice
22:36they have shouted
22:37they have wept
22:38they have killed
22:38themselves.
22:40So we should
22:41now because
22:42we have to be
22:43responsible
22:44parliamentarians
22:45we should sit
22:46in Parliament
22:46like good people
22:47where the speakers
22:48don't allow
22:49LOPs to speak
22:50they don't give us
22:51permission to talk
22:53they shut down
22:54Mr. Karge Saab
22:55who is rising
22:56as a senior member
22:57to talk in the
22:58Raj Sabha
22:59they don't accept
23:00our petitions
23:02and our pleas
23:03they don't accept
23:04our notices
23:05all that is a
23:06very responsible
23:07government
23:09and if they think
23:10that agitating
23:11outside the
23:12Prime Minister's
23:13house
23:13why?
23:14Why is it
23:15irresponsible?
23:16We have to sit
23:17in the prescribed
23:18space
23:18do a prescription
23:19we are not
23:20performing artists
23:23if we could
23:24reach the
23:25Prime Minister's
23:25house and
23:26agitate
23:27it should
23:28reach his
23:29man man ki
23:30bat
23:32and it should
23:33who says that
23:34we can't agitate
23:35in front of the
23:36Prime Minister's
23:36house?
23:37Okay final comment
23:38from you ma'am
23:38final comment from
23:40you ma'am
23:41and this is with
23:41regards to what
23:42has happened in
23:43the Supreme Court
23:43today which has
23:44refused urgent
23:45listing of the
23:47plea which was
23:47challenging the
23:49police action
23:50against the
23:51student protesters
23:52which happened
23:53on 20th
23:53the CGI has
23:55said don't
23:56waste our
23:57time
24:03Where did
24:04the term
24:04cockroach
24:05start?
24:09I can only
24:10plead for the
24:11wisdom of this
24:12judiciary
24:14they're one of
24:15the pillars of
24:16democracy
24:18please rise to
24:19the occasion
24:21Is it wasting
24:22time that when
24:24we plead for the
24:25children's and
24:26the youth's life
24:28that we are to
24:29be dismissed
24:29picked up and
24:30thrown out as
24:31insects?
24:33Is that the
24:34value we have as
24:36future citizens of
24:37this nation?
24:38Is this what our
24:39soldiers, our
24:40parents who have
24:42contributed to
24:43GSTs, worked
24:44hard and earned
24:46for the government?
24:47Is this what we
24:48are reduced to?
24:51That the Supreme
24:52Court in its
24:53wisdom feels that
24:56this is a waste of
24:57time?
24:59How tragic.
25:01Weep my nation.
25:02Weep.
25:04Renika Chaudhary
25:06always combative.
25:07Thank you for your
25:09time.
25:09Pleasure speaking to
25:10you ma'am.
25:13That's all from me on
25:14this edition of
25:15Newstrap.
Comments