Ready for discussion on NEET: Minister after Opposition stalls Lok Sabha

Neeraj Mohan

New Delhi, June 28

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday said the government was ready for a discussion on the controversy over NEET-UG, but that “should take place as per tradition and by maintaining decorum”.

NTA out with fresh dates for 3 exams

New Delhi: The NTA on Friday announced the new dates of cancelled and postponed exams amid a row over “irregularities” in their conduct. The UGC-NET will now be held from August 21 to September 4, the CSIR UGC-NET from July 25 to July 27 and the National Common Entrance Test (NCET) on July 10. — PTI

Talking to the media after the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day amid protests by the Opposition demanding a discussion on irregularities in the conduct of NEET-UG, the minister appealed to them not to confuse the students.

School principal held

• Day after CBI arrested two accused in Patna, it nabbed 2 persons from Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh in paper leak case
• Among them was Ehsanul Haque, principal of Oasis School, from where paper was leaked

“The President spoke about the exam in her speech yesterday and it shows the government’s intention that we are ready to face any issue,” Pradhan said outside Parliament. He said the government’s responsibility was towards the youth and students of the country.

“When the government is ready to put forth its side then what is the confusion? We are going to take the strictest action and the CBI is going to nab everyone (involved). We will not spare anyone,” Pradhan said.

In the morning, Congress MP KC Venugopal submitted an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha to discuss the “unprecedented cases of paper leaks”, including those of NEET-UG and UGC-NET. It aimed at highlighting the “failures” of the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts over a dozen national competitive exams.

Before adjourning the House till noon, Speaker Om Birla said, “I have received 22 notices on the NEET paper leak case. The President has already indicated in her speech that there would be a fair investigation. The members could raise any issue during the Motion of Thanks to President’s Address.”

When the House reassembled, the Opposition continued with its demand. The Speaker then adjourned the House till 11 am on July 1.

Earlier, LoP Rahul Gandhi asked the Speaker to allow the adjournment motion for a discussion on the NEET issue before the President’s Address, calling it the “most important issue”. Birla rejected the demand, saying an adjournment motion could not be permitted in the middle of the discussion on the President’s Address.

Rahul claimed his microphone was turned off and asked the Speaker to switch it on, to which the latter gave a quick rejoinder. “The entire Opposition in a meeting decided that there was a need for a discussion on NEET. We want a healthy, respectful discussion on the issue as this matter is related to the youth. Parliament should send a message that the government and the Opposition are working together to address their concerns,” Rahul later told the media.

Later in a video message to aspirants of competitive exams, particularly NEET, Rahul alleged the PM didn’t want a discussion on the NEET issue. He stated that this was why the opposition’s demand for a debate was not accepted in the Lok Sabha.

“It is unfortunate that the government doesn’t want a discussion on this issue. It seems that the directions came directly from the PM,” he said.

Rahul highlighted the widespread impact of the paper leaks, noting that it had affected 2 crore students and their parents, with 70 instances of various papers being leaked over seven years.