MAHARASHTRA Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday accused the Opposition of shying away from discussions on education and examination reforms because then these parties will have to answer for paper leak scandals in states ruled by them. Defending the Narendra Modi Government’s record, Fadnavis said the Union education budget had increased from about Rs 8,000 crore during the previous Congress-led UPA Government to Rs 1.39 lakh crore now. The Centre had expanded premier institutions such as IITs and AIIMS, increased the number of seats, and created more opportunities in medical, engineering and management education, Fadnavis pointed out.

 

“The Opposition does not have the courage to debate education because it will have to explain paper leaks in Karnataka, Telangana, Punjab and Rajasthan. Every scam during their Governments will come out, and that is why they do not want a discussion,” he said. Referring to the student agitation and the protest called by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS President Raj Thackeray in Mumbai on Sunday, Fadnavis alleged that Maharashtra’s biggest Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) scam took place when Uddhav Thackeray was the Chief Minister.