The BJP on Tuesday dismissed as "baseless and imaginative" media reports claiming that former education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) rejected the government's initial proposal to shift him to another portfolio.
Speaking to reporters in the Parliament House complex, BJP MP and party spokesperson Sambit Patra said the reports sought to sensationalise the issue and create confusion.
According to the reports, the government, during talks with representatives of the CJP, which led a protest at Jantar Mantar over the NEET paper leak, initially proposed changing Pradhan's portfolio instead of seeking his resignation.
The reports further claimed that the CJP rejected the proposal, insisting that Pradhan would have to step down.
Patra referred to one such report, saying it claimed that "the CJP expressed outrage" over the proposal to change Pradhan's portfolio and that this ultimately led to his resignation.
Patra said the report is "baseless and imaginary" and seeks to sensationalise the issue. "No attempt should be made to create any kind of confusion," the BJP leader added.
Pradhan resigned as education minister on July 25 following the CJP's 36-day agitation over the NEET paper leak, saying it was not a matter of "individual prestige" for him.
Breaking his silence after his resignation, Pradhan on Monday described himself as a "street fighter," and not an "A/C room activist."
He reportedly made the remark during an interaction with senior Congress MP Jairam Ramesh in the corridors of Parliament.
(With inputs from PTI)
