Nadda's press meet shows govt's panic, endless whataboutism: Ramesh

Jairam Ramesh hit out at JP Nadda, calling his press conference 'whataboutism'. He said it showed the govt's panic over Rahul Gandhi's revelations and accused the NTA of being compromised, citing multiple paper leaks and failed reforms.

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh hit out at Union Health Minister JP Nadda over his press conference, accusing the BJP leader of resorting to "whataboutism" in response to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegations against the Narendra Modi government.

In a post on X, Ramesh on Wednesday said Nadda's press conference came in response to "sharp and direct revelations" made by Rahul Gandhi and claimed that it showed the government's "panic is only mounting relentlessly." "The entire press conference was nothing but an endless chain of 'whataboutism'," Ramesh said.

Ramesh slams NTA's track record

The Congress leader alleged that the National Testing Agency (NTA), established by the Modi government to conduct examinations, had "consistently proven to be completely compromised and entirely incapable" of fulfilling its responsibilities.

Ramesh claimed that there had been at least nine paper leaks since the NTA's inception and alleged that several examinations had to be cancelled in 2024 due to irregularities.

He further alleged that despite the formation of the K Radhakrishnan Committee, which submitted 101 recommendations for reforms in the NTA, the government failed to implement the reforms adequately.

Ramesh also criticised the government over the appointment of the NTA's Director General, claiming that the post remained with officers holding additional charge from the 2024 paper leak to the alleged 2026 paper leak The Congress leader further alleged irregularities in the UGC-NET Sociology and English examinations conducted under the NTA.

'Govt using force against students'

Ramesh also accused the government of using force against students protesting against alleged paper leaks and education policies, claiming that protesters faced lathi charges, water cannons and tear gas.

"The NEET-UG 2026 paper leak is just a symptom; the disease runs much deeper. The anger of the country's students is against the Prime Minister's overarching incompetence, the Modi government's utterly flawed education policies, and the Prime Minister's arrogance," Ramesh said.

He urged Nadda to move beyond what he described as "juvenile finger-pointing politics" and acknowledge what he called the failures of the Prime Minister and the government. (ANI)

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