New Delhi, 21-06-2024 : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has strongly criticized the Central government over alleged irregularities in the NEET medical entrance exam. He has pledged to personally raise the issue in Parliament and assured that the opposition will exert pressure on the government to ensure justice for affected students.
Gandhi shared a video of his recent meeting with a group of NEET aspirants and their parents, amidst ongoing controversies surrounding NEET-UG 2024. In his post accompanying the video, Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ministers of incompetence, which he claims has jeopardized the futures of lakhs of students.
“Met and interacted with students who were harassed by paper leaks and cheating in the NEET exam. This is the biggest injustice to the aspirations of 24 lakh youth and their parents, who have been working hard towards their goals for years,” Gandhi stated in his YouTube post in Hindi.
He highlighted the severe impacts of such malpractice, including the loss of precious time, financial resources spent on exam preparation, and most importantly, the detrimental effects on the mental health of the country’s ambitious youth. The former Congress president assured the youth that he stands with them against this injustice and promised nationwide protests by the Congress party to demand justice for them.
In the video, Gandhi addressed the affected students directly, saying, “I want to speak with the 24 lakh students who have suffered due to the NEET paper leak. From the streets to Parliament, we are standing with you. You are not alone. In the last seven years, there have been 70 paper leaks, affecting two crore youths.”
“We will fight this fight together and win it,” he added, reinforcing his commitment to their cause. During the interaction, the students shared their experiences, and Gandhi assured them of his support.
When a student mentioned that the UGC-NET had been canceled by the education ministry and that the Supreme Court had taken cognizance of the NEET issue, Gandhi explained that these actions were a result of political pressure. “Both institutions will respond when you put pressure. If you apply pressure in the right manner and if a lot of students stand together, then both institutions will cancel it,” he said.
At the end of the video, Gandhi emphasized that if the government does not protect the students, the opposition will. “I will personally raise this issue in Parliament and we will put full pressure on the government,” he affirmed.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Friday declined to postpone the NEET-UG counseling process, scheduled to begin on July 6, stating it is not an “open and shut” exercise. This decision comes amid ongoing political disputes over the exam, with the opposition criticizing the Centre for alleged paper leaks and other irregularities.
The National Testing Agency (NTA), under scrutiny for its handling of NEET and UGC-NET, is set to conduct a retest on Sunday for 1,563 candidates who were previously awarded grace marks due to time lost at six centers.
In response to the controversy, the Congress party has staged protests across the country, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.