Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the opposition parties and defended the Centre’s handling of the recent students’ protest in New Delhi.
Dhanda said that the government aims at safeguarding the students’ interests.
He was reacting to remarks made by members of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), who had claimed that they forced the BJP to bow down after the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
He described such comments as “political language” and said people often make statements without thinking, and questioned whether the protesters had gathered to force the government to bend or to seek a solution to student issues.
He was at Pandit Chiranji Lal Government College in Karnal’s Sector-14, to chair a state-level felicitation ceremony under the aegis of the All Haryana Government College Teachers’ Association, where he honoured scores of teachers.
Referring to the resignation of Pradhan, Dhanda said the decision was taken to ensure that students did not fall into the hands of anti-national forces or elements trying to exploit the situation.
Responding to a question related to the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding alleged action against students, Dhanda asked Rahul to first look at his party’s own history.
Dhanda referred to the Emergency, alleging that democracy was suppressed, constitutional values were undermined and opposition leaders were jailed during that period. He also criticised the forced sterilisation campaign carried out during the period.
Earlier, while addressing teachers, Dhanda said the state government was committed to continuously improving the quality of higher education in Haryana.
He assured teachers that the government would give positive consideration to their demands and issues. He also emphasised that the interests of government college teachers would not be overlooked. On the occasion, a souvenir of the association was also released.
Dr Rajesh Ranjha, president of the association, said that this programme served as an important platform to strengthen the unity of teachers and strengthen their collective voice. He expressed hope that the government would soon address the pending demands of government college teachers.