‘Betrayal of Lifetime Dreams’: Rahul Urges PM Modi To Address NEET Paper Leak

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding a detailed discussion on the NEET issue on Wednesday saying paper leak is a “betrayal of a lifetime dream” and students deserve answers.

He asserted that a parliamentary debate is the first step towards rebuilding and restoring their faith.

 

In his letter to the Prime Minister, Rahul Gandhi, who is newly appointed Leader of Opposition said, “I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to request for a debate in Parliament on NEET.”

He mentioned that as he is aware, the Opposition’s request for a debate on this issue was “denied” in both Houses of Parliament on June 28th.

“Yesterday, the Opposition had requested for a discussion on this issue again. The honourable Speaker of the Lok Sabha had given assurance to the opposition that he would discuss the matter with the government,” the Congress Lok Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesa’s Rae Bareli said.

He pointed out that their aim is to “engage constructively” to find a way forward.

“At this moment, our only concern is the welfare of nearly 24 lakh NEET aspirants across India. Lakhs of families have made tremendous personal sacrifices to support their children. For many, the paper leak is a betrayal of a lifetime dream,” Rahul Gandhi said, adding that today these students and their families are looking up to us, their public representatives to take bold and decisive steps to resolve the issue.

“The NEET examination deserves immediate attention because it has exposed the deep rot in our higher education system. The past seven years have seen over 70 paper leaks, affecting over 2 crore students. The government’s move to postpone other examinations and replace the Director General of the National Testing Agency is a move to cover up the systemic breakdown of our centralised testing system,” he said lashing out at the government.

He noted that students deserve answers.

“A parliamentary debate is the first step towards rebuilding and restoring their faith. Given the urgency of the matter, I request the government to facilitate a debate in the House tomorrow. I believe that it would be fitting if you were to lead this debate in the interest of the students,” he added.

The Congress-led INDIA bloc has been demanding for a detailed discussion on NEET issue. The government has on previous occasions rejected the oppositions demand in both the Houses of Paiament.