NEET Row: Kapil Sibal Questions 'PM Modi's Silence' On Controversy

Opposition leaders have been vocal against the government, demanding justice for the NEET UG students.

NEET Row: Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal criticised the central government on Saturday regarding the NEET controversy, questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "silence on" the matter. The NEET UG exam was conducted on May 5, 2024, at 4,750 centres, with around 24 lakh applicants appearing for the test. The results, initially expected on June 14, 2024, were announced on June 4, after the answer sheets were evaluated sooner than expected.

The results have since triggered a controversy, with over 60 students getting the perfect score, 720, and some others scoring 718 or 719, scores considered impossible in the framework of the test. There have also been accusations of paper leaks. The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the exam, has attributed the score to compensatory marks given on account of reduced exam time at certain centres, and a question being found to have two correct answers. The NTA has also countered the allegations of "inflated marks" to the exam becoming more competitive, and the test being relatively easier this year. It has denied allegations of paper leak.

As the row rages on, the Centre and the NTA on Thursday informed the Supreme Court, which is hearing petitions regarding the exam, that they had cancelled the grace marks given to 1,563 students who took the exam. These candidates can retake the examination later this month, or settle for scores without the grace marks.

Several politicians, including Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, have weighed in on the issue since it erupted two weeks ago.  

Opposition leaders have been vocal against the government, demanding justice for the NEET UG students. On Friday, the Congress intensified its criticism, questioning Modi's silence and insisting that only a Supreme Court-monitored forensic probe can ensure a fair outcome for the many students affected by these issues.

Jairam Ramesh Calls For Probe Into NEET and NTA Integrity

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, a former member of Parliament's Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare 2014-2019, recalled widespread support for NEET during that time. He however noted concerns raised by Tamil Nadu MPs about it favoring CBSE students and disadvantaging non-CBSE schools. The Congress leader called for a critical analysis of NEET's discrimination against students from poorer backgrounds.

"I was a member of Parliament's Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare between 2014 and 2019 and recall broad support for NEET. But there were MPs, especially from Tamil Nadu, who  had raised concerns that NEET would privilege CBSE students and would disadvantage youth coming from non-CBSE schools," Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.

"I do think now that this CBSE issue needs proper analysis. Is NEET discriminatory? Are students from poorer backgrounds being denied opportunities? Other states like Maharashtra also have expressed grave doubts on NEET," he added.

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