Mumbai | Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Thursday took a jibe at the Union government over the cancellation of the UGC-NET, asking whether a session of 'Pariksha Pe Charcha' will be held with the students who will have to take the test again.

Amid a raging row over NEET exam for medical colleges, the Union Education Ministry on Wednesday ordered cancellation of the UGC-NET following inputs that the exam's integrity might have been compromised, and handed over the matter to the CBI for investigation.

In a post on X, Thackeray said the step taken by the Centre to save its own skin will hurt some nine lakh students whose efforts and money went to waste and who will have to appear for the exam again.

"What can be a bigger irony when those conducting `Pariksha Pe Chacha' could not conduct examinations without making a mess,” Thackeray said.

The Centre should stop playing with the country's future, he said, adding, “Can Pariksha Pe Charcha be held with the youth whose exams have been cancelled?”

`Pariksha Pe Charcha' is an initiative led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the stress associated with examinations. Organised by the Ministry of Education, it has been engaging students, parents and teachers for the past six years.