CJP protest: Row over Nirmala Sitharaman’s ‘brazenly insensitive’ remarks on NEET paper leak. What did she say exactly?

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman drew backlash from the Opposition for saying that young people, who first said they were hurt by the NEET paper leak, later took “advantage” of the re-exam and prepared to improve their performance in the exam.

“How brazenly insensitive are you?,” Congress leader Supriya Shrinate asked while sharing a video of Sitharaman’s statement on social media.

Shrinate posted in Hindi, which roughly translates to: “Finance Minister Nirmala ji is listing the benefits of the paper leak.”

“Come on, Madam, while you're at it, please list the benefits for those 22 children who took their own lives,” she said, adding, “There's a limit - How brazenly insensitive are you?”

Meanwhile, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala also took a dig over Sitharaman saying, “Modiji ke mandli me ek se ek heere hai.”

“The Finance Minister is saying that the paper leaks benefited the children because they got more time. Madam, now I understand why 152 paper leaks happened. You were giving time to the children. The meaning is clear - the same will happen in the future too,” Surjewala said.

Referring to remarks attributed to Nirmala Sitharaman on paper leaks, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal also said such statements amounted to an admission that future leaks could occur.

"A cabinet minister [Sitharaman] is saying, 'Paper leakage will help students.' What does that mean? You are taking complete responsibility for the paper leaks. This is what the students of India are believing today," he was quoted by ANI as saying.

Ashutosh Ranka, a spokesperson of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which is leading the students’ protest over paper leaks, also commented on Sithraman’s remark. “By this logic every paper in this country should get leaked,” he said.

What did Nirmala Sitharaman say on NEET paper leak

Commenting on the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government had come forward and was taking action in the matter.

"When the government has come forward to send ministers to the place where they were not so – with permission, without permission, right at LKM (Lok Kalyan Marg), sitting and agitating – and the first condition was, 'We need a debate in the House.' The government readily agreed. Now to put more conditions, additional riders to it and disturb the House when the government is willing to have a full-fledged discussion... come, discuss," Sitharaman said.

She said on July 23, "...the government is making sure the arrests are done on time, re-exam happened on time and on time, post the incident, an announcement of the results [were made], and young people are now finding the institutions where they have to go for higher education.”

“All this is happening and there are young people who are coming out and saying yes, ‘first it sort of hurt me when the paper leakages happened but later I took advantage of that and prepared even more and my performance has improved and I've done well.’ So there are people who looked at it, even young people who have taken this challenge and faced this, and come out bright in bright colors. So with all this, the government is responding, PM is responding...," Nirmala Sitharaman said.

The finance minister further alleged that the Congress is using the concerns of students as a tool for political disruption.

"Actually, using NEET, using young minds, young students, the Congress party is doing what they are notorious for: disruption of the House, no discussion in the House because the truth will come out and the action taken by the government will all have to come out in the discussion. So they have no cause for further agitation. They don't want that. And therefore, they are disrupting," she added.

Sitharaman slammed the opposition for avoiding a fair discussion, claiming that a transparent debate would expose their political motives.

"They don't want a fair discussion because when the truth comes out, it is they who are politicising a sensitive issue which relates to young people of the country," the Minister told ANI.

Appealing to the opposition to allow the House to function, the Union Minister urged the Congress party to engage in a meaningful dialogue rather than shouting down the leadership.

"We will, even now, I appeal to the opposition, particularly to the Congress party, that engage in a comprehensive debate, discuss the issues here. If more steps are required, the government will answer the questions here. But discuss. There is no point in shouting down ministers who are willing to answer and the Leader of the House who is willing to speak. Congress party's intention is only disruption; they don't want solutions," she said.

Thousands of students and other citizens have taken to the streets to protest the paper leaks and demand education reforms. The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which was started as an online satire, soon became a moment, with several people supporting them, and protesting the NEET paper leak.

The protesters have demanded the government’s accountability for the paper leak incident that claimed the lives of a few aspirants, and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.