New Delhi: On NEET UG exam controversies, the Congress on Friday raised questions on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "silence" on the issue and insisted that only a forensic investigation monitored by the Supreme Court can ensure the future of hundreds of thousands of young students.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the Modi administration is attempting to "conceal the NEET scandal" with the involvement of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the National Testing Agency (NTA), as reported by news agency PTI.
"If the paper was not leaked in NEET then -- why were 13 accused arrested in Bihar due to paper leak? Did the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Patna police not expose the payment of Rs 30 lakh-Rs 50 lakh to the education mafia and organised gangs involved in the racket in exchange for papers?" he said in a post in Hindi on X.
"Has NEET-UG cheating racket not been busted in Godhra, Gujarat? In which three people are involved including a person running a coaching centre, a teacher and another person and according to Gujarat Police, transactions of more than Rs 12 crore have come to light between the accused?" Kharge said.
If according to the Modi government, no paper was leaked in NEET, then why were these arrests made, he asked.
"What conclusion is drawn from this? Was the Modi government trying to fool the people of the country earlier or now? The Modi government has crushed the aspirations of 24 lakh youth," Kharge said.
Twenty-four lakh youth appear for the NEET exam aspiring to secure one of the one lakh medical seats available, Congress leader Pawan Khera emphasized.
"Out of these one lakh seats, approximately 55,000 are in government colleges where seats are reserved for SC, ST, OBC, and EWS categories. This time, the Modi government has manipulated the NTA and inflated marks and ranks extensively, resulting in higher cut-offs for reserved seats," alleged the Congress chief.
Khera claimed that a scheme involving grace marks, paper leaks, and manipulation has been orchestrated to deny deserving students government admissions at subsidized rates.
Speaking at a press conference at the AICC headquarters, Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera described the "NEET scandal as Vyapam 2.0" and accused the Modi government of attempting to cover it up.
"The brazen statement by Minister Pradhan dismissing widespread protests, numerous court cases, and student outrage as 'motivated' is adding insult to injury for the 24 lakh aspirants whose futures are being jeopardized by the BJP," Khera said.
Challenging PM Modi and Minister Pradhan, Khera questioned whether the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of the Patna Police, investigating the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak, had uncovered instances where medical aspirants paid substantial sums ranging from Rs 30 lakh to Rs 50 lakh each to brokers for early access to exam papers on May 5.
"Can the Education Minister refute that a NEET-UG cheating racket was busted in Godhra, Gujarat, involving transactions exceeding Rs 12 crore between students, parents, and accused individuals from a coaching center and teaching profession?" he asked.
Khera highlighted anomalies in this year's NEET-UG results, noting a significant increase in perfect scores and high scores above 690, raising questions about the integrity of the examination process.
He demanded transparency from the NTA, calling for the public release of detailed results and examination center data for students scoring 580 and above to assess the examination's fairness.
"The videos of centers where there are major high scorers must be released so that this scam can be identified as OMR was filled after exam or at NTA office or some impersonation happened so that the truth comes out," he stressed.
Khera concluded by asserting that only a Supreme Court-monitored forensic probe can ensure justice and protect the futures of lakhs of young students affected by the NEET controversy.
Education Loan Information:
Calculate Education Loan EMI