NEET UG 2024: Priyanka Gandhi lends support to clamour seeking re-examination
Senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Friday added her support to the clamour seeking re-examination of the NEET UG 2024 medical entrance exam even as Maharashtra government is considering legal help.
Mumbai/New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Friday added her support to the clamour seeking re-examination of the NEET UG 2024 medical entrance exam even as Maharashtra government is considering legal help.
'Legitimate complaints'
Gandhi termed ‘legitimate’ the complaints of the students about what they alleged ‘serious irregularities and malpractice’ in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for the year 2024.
Reiterating the allegations of paper leak, raised soon after the NEET UG 2024 exams but denied by the National Testing Agency (NTA), Priyanka Gandhi asked those concerned to resolve the matter.
“First the NEET exam paper was leaked and now the students allege that there has been a scam in its results as well. Serious questions are being raised on six students of the same centre getting 720 out of 720 marks and many kinds of irregularities are coming to the fore”, she said.
“Why is the government ignoring the voices of lakhs of students? Students want answers to legitimate questions related to the rigging of the NEET exam results. Is it not the government's responsibility to investigate and resolve these legitimate complaints?” she asked.
The National Testing Agency had conducted NEET UG 2024 on May 05, 2024 at 4,750 centres in 571 cities for which more than 24 lakh students had appeared. The NTA announced the NEET UG 2024 result on June 04, 2024 – ten days ahead of the scheduled time.
According to the NEET result data released by the NTA, a total of 67 students from different states of India have scored a perfect 100% marks i.e. 720 out of the total 720. Six students who scored 100% marks and jointly shared the All India Rank 1 (AIR 1) are from the same centre in Haryana.
Students are alleging that inflation of marks has led to a record 67 candidates getting the top rank. The NTA however denies all these allegations saying changes in the NCERT textbooks and grace marks for losing time at the examination centres are some of the reasons behind the students scoring higher marks.
Maharashtra mulls legal help
The Maharashtra government is not convinced and is considering to file an appeal in court seeking re-examination of the NEET UG 2024.
“The NEET exams were probably conducted after taking money. The results are such that no student of Maharashtra will get admission for the MBBS course in government or private college in the state”, Maharashtra Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif said.
He said parents of many students have approached him seeking to address the issue.
“The NEET 2024 result has caused injustice to Maharashtra and it must be immediately cancelled. We are going to tell NMC (National Medical Council) about it,” he said, adding the government was even contemplating approaching the court over the issue.
There are more than 80,000 MBBS seats in over 540 medical colleges in the country. The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is a compulsory entrance test to get admission.
Congress blames Modi Govt
Earlier, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had directly accused the Modi government of being responsible for creating the mess of the national exams.
“Paper leaks, rigging and corruption have become an integral part of many examinations, including NEET. The Modi government is directly responsible for this”, he wrote in a social media post Friday.
“For the candidates, appearing in the recruitment exams, then facing several irregularities, getting caught in the labyrinth of paper leaks, is playing with their future”, Kharge said.
Demand for SC monitored probe
Highlighting the seriousness of the matter, Congress General Secretary and in-charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh demanded a Supreme Court monitored enquiry and probe into the matter.
“The scam involving lakhs of candidates in the medical entrance exam NEET is completely unacceptable and unforgivable. This is a direct gamble with the future of lakhs of candidates of the country, which should be immediately investigated at a high level under the supervision of the Supreme Court,” Ramesh wrote.
Jairam Ramesh alleged that NEET UG 2024 paper was actually leaked, but the issue was suppressed.
“Now, it is being alleged that students' marks increased”, he said demanding a “fair and transparent investigation” to “restore students' faith in the exam”.
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