NEET-UG row: Rahul Gandhi slams govt, says Oppn to raise issue in Parliament

New Delhi, June 20 - With the NEET-UG paper leak case snowballing into a major controversy, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hit out at the BJP-led Central government on Thursday, saying that the Opposition will raise this issue in the upcoming session of the Parliament.

Addressing a press conference here, the Congress MP mentioned that during his 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' from Manipur to Maharashtra, hundreds of youth brought up the issue of paper leaks.

He also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, suggesting that while it was claimed that the PM stopped the Russia-Ukraine war, he seems unable or unwilling to prevent paper leaks in India.

"The reason for paper leaks is that the BJP's parent organisation has taken control of the education system. Unless this is reversed, paper leaks will continue," he said, attributing the "capture of the education system" to Prime Minister Modi.

He also labelled this as an "anti-national activity".

Rahul Gandhi further pointed out that institutions in the country are "no longer impartial and have become associated with a single ideology", as he criticized the Centre for exonerating the National Testing Agency (NTA), responsible for conducting NEET-UG.

On the cancellation of the UGC NET on Wednesday, a day after the test was held, Rahul Gandhi emphasised the need for a thorough reassessment and redesign of the pre-existing system. He also advocated for a comprehensive probe into the NEET-UG paper leak and urged for accountability against those responsible.

About 24 lakh aspirants appeared for NEET on May 5 for admission to medical colleges. The results were announced before time on June 5 but were marred by allegations of paper leak and awarding of grace marks to over 1,500 candidates.

--IANS