Student bodies of INDIA bloc parties slam Centre over NEET row

New Delhi | Student outfits of INDIA bloc parties slammed the BJP-led Centre on Tuesday over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG and reiterated their demand that the medical entrance test be held again for all the 24 lakh candidates who had appeared in it.

At a press conference held at the Press Club here, national leaders of the student outfits signed a common resolution against discrepancies in the examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and pressed their demand to scrap the testing agency for its failure in holding a fair examination.

Members of the Left-backed All India Students' Association (AISA), Students' Federation of India (SFI) and All India Students' Federation (AISF), along with the Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha and the Congress's student wing National Students' Union of India (NSUI), where among those who addressed the press conference.

They alleged that the future of lakhs of students is jeopardised due to the NTA's "inability to hold exams in a fair and transparent manner" and demanded that fresh dates of the NEET-UG be released immediately for all candidates.

They also demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over reported incidents of paper leak and corruption in the exam.

The student bodies of the INDIA bloc parties plan to take out a joint march to Parliament on the last day of the 18th Lok Sabha on Wednesday, they said.

"The recent NEET scam is a glaring example of the NTA's inability to conduct fair and transparent examinations. We, as representatives of students across the nation, demand an immediate ban on the NTA and the establishment of a new, trustworthy body to conduct these crucial exams.

"Our united stance is to safeguard the interests of our students and we will not rest until justice is served and the examination system reformed to ensure fairness and transparency," NSUI president Varun Choudhary said.

"After several protests and a week-long sit-in by the AISA under the banner of INDIA against the NTA, all the major student organisations of the country have come together to call for an all-India protest on July 3. In this sequence, students have called for a Parliament siege at Jantar Mantar," Prasanjeet Kumar, general secretary, AISA, said.

AISF president Viraaj Devang, Samajwadi Chhattra Sabha president Imran, SFI general secretary Mayukh Biswas and CRJD leader Akshan Ranjan also addressed the press conference.

The NTA on Monday released the results of 1,563 candidates who appeared in a re-test to compensate for loss of time as the exam started late at six centres on May 5.

None of the five candidates who scored a perfect 720 in the May 5 exam could match their results in the re-test. The number of candidates sharing the top rank in the medical entrance test was reduced to 61 from 67 in the revised results.