Owaisi hits out at NDA govt over NEET issue, demands 'SC-monitored NEET re-exam'

Asaduddin Owaisi. File Pic

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday hit out at the NDA government at the Centre over the alleged irregularities in NEET and demanded a Supreme Court-monitored re-examination. Addressing a public meeting at Darussalam, the party's headquarters, on Tuesday, he claimed that the "NEET exam has become a joke," reported news agency PTI.

Taking a dig at Narendra Modi's interaction with students ahead of board exams, he alleged that the prime minister has "destroyed" the future of students and shattered the dreams of their parents. The medical entrance examination National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or NEET-UG, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), was held on May 5 across 4,750 centres, with around 24 lakh candidates taking part. The results were announced on June 4, reported PTI.

There have been allegations of question paper leaks in states such as Bihar and other irregularities in the exam. The allegations have led to protests in several cities and filing of petitions in several high courts as well as the Supreme Court.

Owaisi said, "Have some shame, BJP people. Twenty-four lakh children (appeared for the exam). You are saying we will conduct a re-exam for only 1,500 and take away grace marks. There should be a total re-exam. The NTA is nonsense. Its head is an RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) man from Madhya Pradesh," he said. The AIMIM (All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen) demands the Modi government conduct a re-exam for NEET and the Supreme Court should monitor it, he added, reported PTI.

"The NTA cannot do it. The NTA got destroyed," Owaisi said. He also voiced his support of the system of entrance exams being conducted by respective state governments. NEET is beneficial to the children of wealthy people, he claimed. He further alleged that "the BJP is an anti-education government" and that Modi should speak about re-conducting the Supreme Court-monitored NEET in his "Man ki Baat", reported PTI.

As many as 67 students scored a perfect 720 in NEET-UG, unprecedented in the NTA's history, with six from a centre in Haryana's Faridabad figuring in the list, raising suspicions about irregularities. It has been alleged that grace marks contributed to 67 students sharing the top rank. NEET-UG is conducted by the NTA for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country, reported PTI.

Owaisi also referred to the alleged demolition of houses of some persons by bulldozers in Madhya Pradesh for alleged smuggling of beef and asked the BJP government in the state why only the homes of some people were targeted in the name of illegal construction on government land, reported PTI.

The BJP's 'Sabka Saath' slogan is only a "drama", he claimed. On the clash between two groups in Odisha's Balasore, Owaisi alleged that the incident occurred shortly after the BJP assumed power in the state. Talking about the communal clash in Telangana's Medak town last week, he said the Congress government in the state should take the incident seriously.

The Congress government should pass a legislation in the assembly on the prevention of communal riots bill prepared by the Manmohan Singh government at the Centre. The AIMIM will support the bill, Owaisi said. He also confirmed that the AIMIM will field candidates in the Maharashtra assembly polls, due later this year.

(With inputs from PTI)