Rahul Gandhi’s ‘NEET’ Take On Modi, Vows To Champion Students’ Cause

Congress MP-elect Rahul Gandhi has criticized Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024 examination, vowing to advocate for students in Parliament. He reiterated the Congress party’s promise to enact a law to prevent paper leaks and claimed the party has a solid plan to address this issue.

“Narendra Modi has not even taken oath yet, and the NEET exam scam has affected over 24 lakh students and their families. Six students from the same exam center topped the exam with maximum marks, and many others received marks that are technically not possible. However, the government is denying the possibility of a paper leak,” Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X.

“Congress had a strong plan to tackle this ‘paper leak industry’ operating in collusion with the education mafia and the government machinery. In our manifesto, we promised to protect students from paper leaks by enacting a law,” he added.

Gandhi also expressed confidence in the youth’s support for the opposition coalition, INDIA bloc, stating, “Today, I assure all the students of the country that I will be your voice in Parliament and will strongly raise issues related to your future. The youth have expressed confidence in INDIA – INDIA will not allow their voice to be suppressed.”

Earlier, Congress general secretary (organizations) KC Venugopal criticized the BJP for jeopardizing students’ futures and called on the Ministry of Education to conduct a thorough inquiry into the NEET-UG Exam 2024 irregularities.

“The BJP government has completely mishandled the NEET examinations and ruined the future of our medical aspirants. First, it insisted on conducting the exam despite significant opposition from many states, especially Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Now, it is clearly unable to manage it effectively, and we are witnessing a national-level paper leak. This, along with numerous irregularities, raises concerns about the exam’s administration,” Venugopal stated in a post on X.

To address student and parent concerns, Venugopal has written a letter to K Sanjay Murthy, Secretary of the Ministry of Education, demanding an impartial inquiry into the issue. He also highlighted complaints and concerns regarding the conduct and result of NEET-UG 2024 in his letter.

The NTA has formed a committee to review the grace marks awarded to NEET UG 2024 candidates amidst allegations of mark inflation. The Ministry of Education has also established a committee to review the grace marks awarded to over 1,500 candidates, following allegations of mark inflation leading to 67 candidates securing the top rank, including six from the same exam center in Haryana.

The Director-General of the National Testing Agency (NTA), Subodh Kumar Singh, stated that the committee will meet soon and is expected to submit its recommendations within a week. Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Junior Doctors Network has demanded a CBI inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the NEET 2024 examination, which saw a total of 20.38 lakh students register, with 11.45 lakh candidates qualifying.