NEW DELHI, June 18: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for remaining “silent” on the NEET exam controversy, asserting that his party is committed to advocating for the youth from the streets to the Parliament to ensure strict measures against paper leaks.
Gandhi pointed out that recent arrests in Bihar, Gujarat, and Haryana indicate organized corruption within the examination system, with these BJP-ruled states becoming “epicenters” of paper leaks. “Narendra Modi, as usual, is maintaining silence on the tampering with the future of more than 24 lakh students in the NEET examination,” Gandhi said in a post on X in Hindi.
In the Congress manifesto, the party pledged to safeguard the future of the youth by enacting stringent laws against paper leaks. “While fulfilling the responsibility of the opposition, we are committed to formulating tough policies by strongly raising the voice of the youth from the streets to the Parliament and putting pressure on the government,” Gandhi added.
Gandhi’s comments followed a statement from the Supreme Court, which emphasized that even “0.001 percent negligence” in the conduct of the NEET-UG 2024 examination should be thoroughly investigated. The apex court noted that students work extremely hard to prepare for these exams and that related litigation should not be treated as adversarial.
A vacation bench of Justices Vikram Nath and SVN Bhatti underscored the importance of accountability, instructing the advocates representing the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA) to address any negligence. The NTA is responsible for conducting the nationwide pre-medical entrance test.
The bench was hearing two separate petitions concerning issues such as grace marks awarded to students in the exam held on May 5.
