New Delhi: Student protests escalating across the country over alleged irregularities in medical entrance exam NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) and other competitive exams, the Opposition has said it would raise the issue in parliament today. The idea is to corner the government, even though the day is dedicated to a discussion on the Motion of Thanks to President's address to parliament. Projecting confidence, sources told NDTV that the government is ready to answer any questions on the matter even if it comes up during the debate.
Every possible action has been taken on the NEET issue, from starting a Central Bureau of Investigation probe to forming a special committee to look into it, government sources said. The committee report is expected soon. Also, the stringent rules against cheating and paper leak coming into effect in this session, strong action will be taken against the culprits and foundation would be laid for a robust education system, they said.
In case the matter comes up today, education minister Dharmendra Pradhan will respond to it, sources said. Mr Pradhan was booed by the Opposition over the NEET row when he took oath in parliament on Monday.
The massive row over NEET also came up in President Droupadi Murmu's address to the joint session of parliament today. The government, President Murmu said, is "committed to a fair investigation".
"The opposition will be in attacking mode,' senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said after today's meeting. "The mandate of the Lok Sabha polls is a personal, political and moral defeat of the Prime Minister. The opposition will remind him of this every day," he said.
The Opposition decision to raise NEET before any other issue was taken at a meeting this evening amid massive public anger. Since June 4, when the results were declared, protests and demonstrations have swept the country over allegations of paper leak and preferential marking.
This afternoon, the Congress student wing NSUI barged into the office of the NTA (National Testing agency) which conducts the NEET exam, demanding that it be shut down. The protest came shortly after the Youth Congress held a protest near Parliament.
The NEET results coinciding with the results of the general election, the protests and allegations gave the rejuvenated opposition its first opportunity to target the BJP-led government at the beginning of its third term.
Congress's Rahul Gandhi contended that the BJP-ruled states have become the "epicentre of paper leak", pointing to the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh 15 years ago, that involved massive irregularities in the entrance exams for government jobs. From there, it has spread to all BJP-ruled states, he said in a reference to the paper leak in the Uttar Pradesh Police Constable exam.
The government retaliated with allegations of a nexus between key INDIA ally Rashtriya Janata Dal's Tejashwi Yadav and the accused arrested in Bihar in the paper leak case. The RJD has denied the claim.