![\"Dharmendra](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-133146853,imgsize-1041885,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/dharmendra-pradhan-and-rahul-gandhi-r.jpg\" "\\"Pradhan")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nNEW DELHI: Former Union education minister and senior BJP<\/a> leader Dharmendra Pradhan<\/a> on Tuesday trained his guns on Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi<\/a>, branding him a \u201chabitual liar\u201d and accusing the Congress of shedding \u201ccrocodile tears\u201d over students\u2019 concerns.Pradhan\u2019s remarks came amid protests in Jharkhand over irregularities and paper leaks in competitive examinations. In Jharkhand, Congress is part of the ruling alliance with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha led by chief minister Hemant Soren in the state.In a post on X, former Union education minister accused the Congress of \u201ccontinuously spreading lies\u201d about students\u2019 interests and alleged that Rahul Gandhi \u201clacks facts\u201d.\u201cThe leader of opposition, who habitually lies, neither wants to come to Parliament nor listen to answers. They just want to spread their lies and shed crocodile tears,\u201d Pradhan said.Pradhan also hit back at the opposition\u2019s sustained attack on the Centre and Union home minister Amit Shah, accusing Rahul Gandhi and the Congress of making \u201cbaseless\u201d and \u201cfactless\u201d allegations.\u201cMaking baseless, factless false accusations against the Honorable Home Minister Shri Amit Shah ji reveals the political desperation of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress,\u201d Sambalpur MP said.The former Union minister also maintained that the government was ready for a discussion in Parliament on \u201cevery issue\u201d, while accusing the Congress of deliberately disrupting proceedings.\u201cThe government is ready for discussion in Parliament on every issue, but Congress is obstructing the temple of democracy, Parliament House, and crushing the interests of the country and the youth,\u201d he said.Pradhan alleged that the opposition\u2019s objective was political, rather than addressing issues concerning the country and young people. He also accused Congress leaders of creating \u201cchaos\u201d outside Parliament when discussions are held inside the House.Turning the spotlight on the JMM-Congress government in Jharkhand, Pradhan accused it of following a policy of \u201cselective democracy\u201d over the handling of student protests.\u201cCongress\u2019s democracy is also \u2018selective\u2019-violence against youth where they are in government, and lies and commotion where they want to shine politically,\u201d he said, referring to the use of lathi-charge, water cannons and tear gas against protesting students in Jharkhand.Pradhan also questioned Lok Sabha LoP Rahul’s silence on the Jharkhand protests, saying the Congress leader holds press conferences on \u201cevery issue\u201d but has not spoken about the student agitation. Meanwhile, Rahul held a presser on Monday and also responded on the question of crackdown on Jharkhand students.\u201cThe youth of the country have fully understood this duplicitous character of the Congress,\u201d Pradhan said, adding that there was \u201cno place for dictatorship in democracy\u201d.His remarks came days after he stepped down as Union education minister following prolonged student protests in New Delhi and across the country over the NEET-UG paper-leak fiasco.A day earlier, Rahul in his presser, condemned the use of force against students. He also called on the state government to engage with the protesters and resolve their concerns.\u201cMy message to protesting students in Jharkhand is clear. We condemn any violence against peacefully protesting students,\u201d Rahul said.\u201cIt does not matter where it is happening. We condemn it, we are against it, we do not recommend it, and we do not support it. We are very clear,\u201d Rae Bareli MP said.Rahul maintained that peaceful protests should not be met with force and urged the Jharkhand government to continue listening to the students.<\/p>\n Share your thoughts in the comments<\/p>\n<\/div>\n