Congress demands SC-monitored probe into NEET exam 'irregularities'
New Delhi, Jun 7: The Congress on Friday demanded a high-level investigation under the Supreme Court's supervision into "irregularities" in NEET for medical courses and accused the BJP of cheating youngsters and playing with their futures.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said paper leaks, rigging and corruption have become an integral part of many examinations, including the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).
"The Modi government is directly responsible for this. For the candidates appearing in recruitment exams, then facing several irregularities, getting caught in the labyrinth of paper leaks, is playing with their futures. The BJP has cheated the youth of the country," he said in a post in Hindi on X.
"We demand that a high-level investigation should be conducted under the supervision of the Supreme Court so that our talented students appearing in NEET and other exams get justice," he added.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has denied any irregularities and said the changes made in National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks and grace marks for losing time at examination centres are behind the students scoring higher marks.
Jairam Ramesh, the Congress general secretary in charge of communications, said the "scam" involving lakhs of candidates is "completely unacceptable and unforgivable".
"This is a direct gamble with the future of lakhs of candidates of the country, which should be immediately investigated at the high level under the supervision of the Supreme Court," he said in a post in Hindi on X.
"This year, there was news of a paper leak in it that was suppressed. Now, many candidates have alleged that the marks of the students have been increased. Students say that this time a record 67 candidates have secured the top rank and six of these candidates are said to be from the same examination centre," he claimed.
The results for the medical entrance exam NEET-UG on Tuesday.
"The question is how did the students get cheated, who did it and why was this result deliberately declared on June 4 amid the noise of election results, whereas it was to be declared on 14 June?" Ramesh asked.
He further said, "Several questions are being raised on the results of NEET -- How did 67 toppers simultaneously get 720/720 marks? How did eight students from the same centre get 720/720 marks? Every question was worth four marks, then how did the numbers 718-719 come? 67 students getting 720 out of 720 marks in the results released after the NEET question paper was leaked raises serious suspicion."
The NTA issued a clarification after uproar over the results, he said and added that the affected students have termed this explanation "superficial" and "unreliable".
"In such a situation, it is very important to restore the faith of students in the purity of this examination, which is possible only through a fair and transparent investigation," Ramesh said.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also slammed the Narendra Modi government over the alleged irregularities and called for a resolution of the students' "legitimate complaints" through an investigation.
In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, "First the NEET exam paper was leaked and now the students allege that there has been a scam in its results as well. Serious questions are being raised on six students of the same centre getting 720 out of 720 marks and many kinds of irregularities are coming to the fore."
"Why is the government ignoring the voice of lakhs of students? Students want answers to legitimate questions related to the rigging in the NEET exam results," the Congress general secretary said.
Gandhi asked if it isn't the government's responsibility to resolve these "legitimate complaints" by conducting an investigation.
Congress leader Randeep Surjewala on Thursday claimed there was a possibility of "huge irregularities" in the NEET-UG results and the government should ensure accountability.
He alleged the irregularities had affected the future of around 24 lakh children.
Party leader Kanhaiya Kumar demanded that the issues be examined and the complaints resolved.
"The investigation should be done under the supervision of the Supreme Court and if any discrepancy is found in the test, then it should be conducted again," Kumar, the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) in-charge, told reporters.
He alleged that there is no exam in the country that is free from rigging. "Students have started writing on social media -- 'Once again, leakage government'."
"Before the elections, Narendra Modi discusses exams but there is no talk of paper leaks and rigging after the polls. If such a situation continues, even the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) exam will not be conducted properly in the coming days," he said.
"There is a need to take strict action against paper leaks as the paper leak mafia is playing with the future of students," he said, pointing to student suicides at several places.
Kumar asserted that the government must take steps and mere rhetoric will not work as this is a question about the country's future.
NSUI chief Varun Choudhary said the government is silent on the paper leak and result manipulation in NEET.
"The NTA is under suspicion because the paper leak matter came to light. The students got such scores in the exam which were never possible," he said, adding that all these raise questions on the NTA.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
