Hold NEET-UG exam again for all candidates: Student outfits

Anshita Mehra

New Delhi, July 2

Student organisations affiliated with INDIA bloc parties condemned the BJP-led Centre on Tuesday, alleging significant irregularities in the NEET-UG exam and renewing their call for the test to be re-conducted for all 24 lakh candidates.

‘Scrap nta’

The NTA, which acts like a mafia itself, must be scrapped without delay. We, the students, reject the false promises of the government and demand the immediate resignation of the failed Education Minister. — Prasenjeet Kumar, AISA general secretary

At a unified press conference, leaders from the Left-aligned All India Students’ Association (AISA), Students’ Federation of India (SFI), All India Students’ Federation (AISF), Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha and the Congress’ student wing National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) asserted that exam rigging was putting the futures of countless students at risk.

“In light of pervasive corruption and mismanagement by the National Testing Agency (NTA), we can no longer stand by as our students’ future is jeopardised,” said Varun Choudhary, NSUI national president.

“The recent NEET scams are a glaring example of the NTA’s inability to conduct fair and transparent examinations. We demand an immediate ban on NTA and the establishment of a new, trustworthy body to conduct these crucial exams. Our united stance is a testament to our commitment to safeguarding the interests of our students. We will not rest until justice is served and the examination system is reformed to ensure fairness and transparency,” he added.

Choudhary further challenged Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, saying, “If there has been no bribery, Pradhan must come out and clarify it. Why does he continue to remain silent?”

AISF national president Vedang said, “The NTA is just a pawn in the game of centralisation and privatisation. We demand immediate scrapping of NTA.”

The student unions also announced a joint protest to be organised by the INDIA bloc student unions at Jantar Mantar and various locations across India tomorrow, demanding the resignation of Education Minister and the dismantling of the NTA over reported incidents of paper leaks.