NEET-UG 2024 row: Congress demands Supreme Court-monitored probe, Education Minister responds
Medical entrance exam NEET-UG with over 24 lakh candidates appearing for it has become a centre of controversy over allegations of several irregularities and has triggered protests across the country and a political slugfest.
NEET-UG 2024 row: The Congress on Thursday demanded a fair investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court into the entire National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) issue. Party chief Mallikarjun Kharge targeted the Centre saying that the "future of 24 lakh students who appeared in the NEET-UG 2024 exam is at stake due to the actions of the Modi government."
In an X post, Kharge said, "Grace Marks was not the only problem in NEET exam. There has been rigging, papers have been leaked, corruption has taken place. The future of 24 lakh students appearing in the NEET examination is at stake due to the actions of the Modi Government."
'Modi Government cannot escape its responsibility'
The Congress president claimed that a nexus of exam centre and coaching centre has been formed, where the game of 'pay money, get paper' is being played.
"The Modi Government cannot escape its responsibility by placing the responsibility of its actions on the shoulders of NTA. The Congress Party demands a fair investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court into the entire NEET scam. After investigation, the culprits should be given the harshest punishment and lakhs of students should be given compensation to save their year from being wasted. In the last 10 years, the Modi government has ruined the future of crores of youth through paper leaks and rigging," he added.
Congress demands removal of NTA chief
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi also demanded the removal of the National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General and claimed that the BJP government's attitude towards the ongoing demand for an inquiry into the NEET examination is "irresponsible and insensitive".
He asserted that the anger in the country over the matter will "reverberate inside Parliament as well". "We demand a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into this entire scandal which has affected around 24 lakh students. The Congress believes that the BJP government's attitude towards the ongoing demand for an inquiry into the NEET exam is irresponsible and insensitive...Ordinary families have been forced to cough up amounts close to Rs 30 lakh due to promises given to them by different coaching and examination centres," he said.
"We believe that no inquiry can be a just, fair and comprehensive if it is headed by the NTA itself. The NTA chairperson should be removed and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who likes giving exam advice to Class 10 students, should not forget the mental anxiety caused to these undergraduates," Gogoi added.
Dharmendra Pradhan responds to Kharge
Replying to the Congress president, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that NTA is committed to take appropriate action by following the instructions of the Supreme Court and as per the instructions of the apex court, the examination of 1,563 students will be conducted again.
"No concrete evidence of any kind of rigging, corruption or paper leak has been found so far in the NEET exam. All the facts related to this are before the Supreme Court and are under consideration. I want to remind the Congress that to prevent paper leak and to conduct a cheating-free exam, the Central Government has passed the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act this year, which has many strict provisions. Congress should not be under the misconception that if any nexus is found, no action will be taken against it. The provisions of this Act will be implemented very carefully," he said,
He said that playing politics on the future of students is an old habit of Congress. "Instead of making political gains, Congress should contribute to the development of India. The kind of politics being done on this issue is only an attempt to spread confusion and it affects the mental peace of the students. Currently, the counseling process of NEET is about to start and making it a subject of political hunting is not only unfair but it is like playing with the future generation. The focus of the central government is always on ensuring a bright future for the students. The opposition is issueless, on such a sensitive issue the opposition is just spreading lies without knowing the facts. Congress is playing with the future of the country for its petty politics," he added.
Pradhan rejects allegations
Earlier, Pradhan had rejecting allegations of paper leak in the medical entrance exam NEET-UG and asserted the accused will be punished if any irregularity is found. The Indian government and NTA are committed to holding fair examinations, he added.
The NEET UG 2024 results drew immediate attention due to an unusually high number of candidates achieving a perfect score of 720/720 amid allegations of paper leak and improper awarding of grace marks. As many as 67 students have been awarded the perfect score. Six of these candidates who secured the top rank wrote the exam from the same center in Haryana. After that, NEET results have sparked controversy.