Paper leak row: Rahul Gandhi says no Lok Sabha discussion until Dharmendra Pradhan quits
2 min readNew DelhiJul 24, 2026 02:38 PM IST
LoP in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. (File Photo)
Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi Friday stated that no discussion over paper leaks will take place in the House until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns from his post.
The statement from the Congress leader came just minutes after the Lok Sabha was adjourned with Opposition members raising slogans following Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju’s announcement that the government was ready for a discussion on paper leaks.
Mentioning that activist Sonam Wangchuk has ended his indefinite fast after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured the country of curbing paper leaks in a video message, Minister Rijiju remarked, “If we don’t do a discussion and make excuses, then it is not a good message. The PM has assured that strict laws will be brought to curb paper leaks… I request Rahul Gandhiji that he should make Congress MPs understand. Other party MPs have put their views that there should be a discussion. Why can’t we have a good discussion?”
Thereafter, speaking to reporters in the Parliament complex, Rahul Gandhi said: “Rijijuji gave a statement that they want our MPs to hold a discussion. The normal protocol is that if someone names a person, he or she is allowed to respond. We were told that they want a discussion. When I wanted to reply, the mic was taken away from me. I was not given an opportunity.
“I want to reiterate the Opposition stance. There are three demands from the students. First, the corrupt education minister has to go. Second, those who attacked the students and beat them up should face action. Third, the prime minister should apologize to the students. These are the three conditions. We will not have a discussion or conversation before Pradhan is sacked. That is it.”
Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express. During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state. During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute. Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor. Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. ... Read More
- Tags:
- Dharmendra Pradhan
- Kiren Rijiju
- Narendra Modi
- NEET
- Rahul Gandhi
Source: Indian Express
