Paper leaks are inevitable under BJP's regime...: Tejashwi Yadav

Tejashwi Yadav. File pic

Amid the controversies surrounding the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) (NEET-UG) exams, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Friday launched a fierce attack the central government ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming that whether the BJP is in power at Centre or in state, paper leaks are "inevitable", reported ANI.

"Whether the BJP is in power at the centre or in the state, paper leaks are inevitable. A NEET paper leak is a very serious matter. The accused in custody is admitting that the paper has been leaked. Candidates, parents, students, and youth, all worried. The entire system is suspicious but the NDA government is so immersed in arrogance that it is completely ignoring the credibility of examinations in the country and even after the evidence of the paper leak has been made public, investigations and arrests have been made, and the conspirators have confessed to the crime of #NEET", Yadav said in a post on 'X'.

"It is not ready to accept that there has been some rigging in the examination. All the evidence is in front of us but the Union Education Minister is so ignorant that he is not ready to accept that something is wrong. The arrogant Modi government is sleeping in such a deep slumber that it does not care even if the dreams of lakhs of candidates are shattered. They have created tremendous chaos in the country", he added.

Earlier today, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan affirmed to the students that the government would ensure transparency while conducting a probe into the alleged irregularities and re-conducting exams.

He also urged the students "not to worry". In a conversation with ANI, Pradhan said, "The government ensures the students that full transparency will be adopted in the probe into alleged irregularties and re-conducting the NEET exams. The students do not need to worry".

He also held a meeting with some of the candidates who appeared for the NEET exams, along with their parents and addressed their concerns and issues.

However, the education minister on Thursday ruled out the possibility of any irregularities in the NEET-UG examination, stating that there has been "no paper leak" in the NEET-UG paper and government is ready to give answers to the Supreme Court which is hearing the petitions related to the exam, reported ANI.

"I want to assure the students and their parents that the Government of India and NTA are committed to providing justice to them. Twenty-four lakh students have successfully taken the NEET examination. There is no paper leak, no proof has been found yet. A court-recommended model was adopted for around 1560 students and a panel of academicians has been formed for the same...We will accept the verdict of the Court," he said, reported ANI.

Meanwhile, the National Testing Agency (NTA) told the Supreme Court on Thursday that the scorecards of 1563 candidates who got "grace marks" in the 2024 National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (undergraduate) exam will be cancelled and the candidates will have a chance to reappear for the exam.

The NTA told a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta that a committee has been constituted to review the results of over 1,563 candidates who were awarded "grace marks" to compensate for the loss of time suffered while appearing for NEET-UG.

"The Committee has decided to cancel the scorecards of 1563 NEET-UG 2024 candidates who were given grace marks and these students will be given the option to take a re-test," NTA said."

The exam will be conducted on June 23 and the results will be declared before June 30," it added.

The Apex Court reiterated that it will not continue the counselling of NEET-UG, 2024, reported ANI.

"Counselling will go on and we will not stop it. If the exam goes, then everything goes in totality, so there is nothing to fear," said the Supreme Court, reported ANI.

The Supreme Court will hear the petitions on July 8

Several petitions were filed in the apex court seeking direction to recall NEET-UG 2024 results and to conduct the examination afresh, alleging paper leakage and malpractices in the test held on May 5.

The May 5 exam, conducted by NTA across 4,750 centres for nearly 24 lakh students, has been put in the docks over allegations relating to paper leaks and questionable grace marks, reported ANI.

An unprecedented 67 students have achieved a perfect score of 720, which has added to the concerns.

Meanwhile, the opposition has also been questioning the central government over the alleged "scam" in conducting the NEET-UG examinations. Several students in different parts of the country also organised protests demanding a probe into the reported irregularities.

Earlier on Thursday, Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge took a swipe at the centre over reported irregularities in the NEET-UG exams.

"Grace marks were not the only problem in NEET exam. There has been rigging, papers have been leaked, and corruption has taken place. The future of 24 lakh students appearing in the NEET examination is at stake due to the actions of the Modi government. A nexus of exam centres and coaching centres has been formed, where the game of 'pay money, get paper' is being played", Kharge wrote in a post on 'X'.

"The Modi government cannot escape its responsibility by placing the responsibility of its actions on the shoulders of the NTA. The Congress Party demands a fair investigation, under the supervision of the Supreme Court, into the entire NEET scam. After investigation, the culprits should be given the harshest punishment and lakhs of students should be given compensation to save their year from being wasted. In the last 10 years, the Modi government has ruined the future of crores of youth through paper leaks and rigging," he added.

The NEET-UG examination, conducted by the NTA, paves the way for admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country.

(With inputs from ANI)