With the controversy over the NEET-UG exam 2024 raging on, senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram said that the Centre must indeed give up these fetishes for conducting all-India examinations, states wresting back their powers for conducting the medical college admission test that has been mired in problems and allegations of malpractice with continued usage of NEET. Chidambaram attacked the examination management and sought Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation while holding him responsible for examination leaks.
He expressed apprehensions about the new criminal laws brought in recently, claiming large chunks of old laws were merely lifted without adequate change. The senior Congress leader said that the whole process was lacking in transparency and lawyers from all parts of the country are unhappy over the way amendments to the penal code have been effected recently. Chidambaram disclosed plans by the Congress’ Legal and Human Rights Department to hold a conclave by the end of this month to take up such issues.
Coming to the aid of Rahul Gandhi against BJP allegations over his recent parliamentary speech, Chidambaram took a sturdy defense of remarks made by Gandhi and ruled out insult against the Hindu community. He posed strong annoyance over what appeared to be a saffron blitzkrieg on issues relating to Hindu identity politics and reiterated Congress’ commitment to a secular India.