New Delhi, July 25 (IANS) After the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union Education Minister, opposition parties, including the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, on Saturday termed the development a “victory for students, democracy, and the united Opposition”.
Speaking to IANS, Congress MP Jebi Mather said, “This is a defining moment and a victory for democracy. India is witnessing the strength of democracy and the power of the youth’s voice. This is a victory for students, a victory for the united voice of the Opposition, a victory for Rahul Gandhi, and a victory for all those forces and voices that came together to stand with the students.”
Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai said, “The resignation should have come much earlier. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have acted sooner. It has come very late, but action has finally been taken. This is a victory for all of us, a victory for Rahul Gandhi, a victory for the Congress, the students, and the youth whose voices were continuously raised on this issue.”
Congress MLA Amin Patel said, “For the families of the students who died by suicide, Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation may provide some measure of solace. The next question is how long it will take for his resignation to be formally accepted.”
Samajwadi Party Spokesperson Udayveer Singh said, “Students and young people across the country had been continuously fighting for their demands. Exam aspirants, students, and several political parties had been demanding accountability after the paper leak controversy and the reported suicides of many students. Their primary demand was that responsibility should be fixed and the Minister should resign. That resignation has now come. This is a victory for democracy, students, young people, and all the political, non-political, and social organisations that stood with them.”
Trinamool Congress MP Dola Sen said, “It is written in our Constitution that the people always have the final word. The voice of the people has now been heard, which is why he (Dharmendra Pradhan) had to resign. We, along with the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad and Trinamool Youth Congress, have stood in support of the peaceful students who faced brutal treatment in Delhi.”
Trinamool Congress MLA Kunal Ghosh said, “This should have happened much earlier. Why did it take so many days? The entire country was demanding his (Dharmendra Pradhan’s) resignation, but the BJP kept protecting him.”
Azad Samaj Party President Chandrashekhar Azad said, “The resignation should have taken place much earlier on moral grounds, especially after the reported suicides of around 22 students. Accountability should have been fixed much sooner.”
–IANS
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