NEW DELHI: Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Saturday criticised the Centre over the transfer of the Education Secretary, alleging that the move amounted to “rewarding corruption instead of ensuring accountability.”
Dipke claimed that the outgoing official had been replaced by an IAS officer from the Animal Husbandry Department who faces “severe multi-crore corruption charges.”
“Last night, the Education Secretary was transferred. He was replaced by an IAS officer from the Animal Husbandry Department who has severe multi-crore corruption charges against him. The entire crisis around paper leaks and NEET was about systemic corruption,” Dipke wrote in a post on X.
He further alleged that replacing one bureaucrat with another facing “serious corruption allegations” was “a direct insult to young people across India” and questioned whether this was the “compromise” the government expected students to accept.
“Replacing one bureaucrat with another facing serious corruption allegations is a direct INSULT to young people across India. Is this the ‘compromise’ the government expects us to accept? This is not accountability. We will not stop until Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns,” Dipke said.
The Centre on Thursday carried out a major bureaucratic reshuffle, appointing 13 secretaries across various ministries and departments, including key changes in the education ministry, amid continuing protests over the alleged NEET paper leak.
Senior IAS officer Naresh Pal Gangwar has been appointed Secretary of the Department of Higher Education, while T K Anil Kumar has been named Secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy.
According to an order issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), Gangwar, a 1994-batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, will succeed Vineet Joshi as Secretary of the Department of Higher Education.
Protests over the alleged NEET paper leak spread across several states on Friday, a day after CJP called for nationwide demonstrations. Protesters condemned the Delhi Police’s July 20 crackdown and reiterated their demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
As the agitation gained momentum, the Congress directed its state units to organise candlelight marches and ‘satyagraha’ programmes in every district on Saturday evening, protesting the alleged irregularities in the NEET and CBSE examinations and what it described as the Modi government’s repressive response.
On Friday, senior CJP leaders met BJP leaders, including Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Union Minister Jitendra Singh, at the Constitution Club in New Delhi for a high-level discussion.
Earlier, activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike at Medanta Hospital in the presence of Nadda and Jitendra Singh after the Union government provided a written assurance on the NEET issue and broader reforms to India’s competitive examination system.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said strict action would be taken against those responsible for the alleged paper leaks. He also stated that the Union Cabinet would consider a draft Bill proposing fast-track courts and stricter penalties for those found guilty.
