'If you can stop war, why not NEET paper leaks?' Rahul Gandhi asks PM Modi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday launched a scathing attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of failing to address the issue of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) paper leaks in India.

“It was being said that Modi ji stopped the Russia-Ukraine war. But due to some reasons, Narendra Modi has not been able to stop or doesn’t want to stop paper leaks in India,” Rahul said.

 

Slamming the Centre, the Congress leader labelled the NEET paper leak as an act of anti-nationalism.

“The reason behind paper leaks is that the education system has been captured by the Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP]’s parent organisation [RSS]. Till the time this is not reversed, paper leaks will go on. Modi ji has facilitated this capture. It is an anti-national activity,” the Rae Bareli MP said.

“It’s happening because our institutions have been compromised. Our vice-chancellors are appointed not based on merit, but because they belong to a specific organisation,” said Gandhi, alleging that the BJP has “penetrated” the country’s education system and destroyed it.  

“What Narendra Modi did to the economy with demonetisation has now been done to the education system. The reason this is happening and the reason you’re suffering is because an independent, objective education system has been demolished... It is important that those who are guilty here are held accountable and punished,” he said.

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On Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan giving the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the exam, a clean chit, Rahul Gandhi said, “They [Centre] have no credibility in these matters. If they give clean chit, it means nothing, their credibility is zero. Everybody knows that the epicenters are Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh.”

Regarding the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam, Gandhi highlighted concerns, stating, “Now, people are clear that we are sitting on a disaster and we have a government that is crippled. It is a profound national crisis. I don’t even see a capability of response [from the government].”

He added that his party would raise the NEET row and UGC-NET cancellation issue in Parliament.

His remarks comes a day after the Congress party announced a nationwide agitation over the NEET-UG controversy and directed its state units to organise massive protests “demanding justice for the students”.

Calling for a protest on Friday, Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal said, “Against this massive corruption and irregularities in the NEET examination and the desperate inaction and silence of the NDA government, all Pradesh Congress Committees are requested to hold massive protests at state headquarters on Friday, June 21, 2024, demanding justice for the students. This demonstration should involve senior leaders and party functionaries."