Former Haryana Home Minister and senior Congress leader Subhash Batra on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the BJP government over the alleged use of force against protesting students in Delhi and demanded accountability for the continued paper leaks and irregularities in recruitment examinations.

Addressing a news conference, Batra alleged the manner in which the BJP government had dealt with students raising their voice for their rights and future was “a shameful attack on democracy”.

“Students were beaten while raising their voices. Now, instead of answering their questions, the BJP is trying to divert public attention from real issues through politics and an atmosphere of confrontation,” he said. Batra questioned why Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had not been asked to resign and asked, “What is the government afraid of? What secrets will be exposed if accountability is fixed?”

Batra claimed the Congress had stood firmly with the students “from the streets to the Assembly and from Delhi to Chandigarh”.

“The country saw the Leader of the Opposition being dragged on the streets. The blood flowing from his nose was seen by everyone. A person whose grandfather, grandmother and father served as Prime Ministers of the country and made sacrifices for India was dragged on the road. Such brutality has no place in a democracy,” Batra added.

Referring to the Congress' ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign, Batra said “Rahul Gandhi has exposed the system. This is the biggest concern for the BJP. The BJP has realised that the youth of the country is now asking questions and will not tolerate any further compromise with their future.”

Batra raised three direct questions over paper leaks, asking who was operating the network behind the leaks, why the big players had not been acted against, and why only minor accused persons were being arrested while the masterminds remained untouched.