The Congress party raised concerns on Sunday about the integrity of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the conduct of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), calling for a comprehensive review by the new Standing Committees of Parliament.
The opposition party hoped that when the new Standing Committees of Parliament gets constituted, it would take up an in-depth review of the NEET, NTA and NCERT.
Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary and former member of Parliament’s Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare, said that issues surrounding NEET’s fairness and its potential bias towards CBSE students, disadvantaging those from non-CBSE backgrounds, particularly in states like Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
“I do think now that this CBSE issue needs proper analysis. Is NEET discriminatory? Are students from poorer backgrounds being denied opportunities? Other states like Maharashtra also have expressed grave doubts on NEET,” Ramesh said in a post on X.
There are also serious questions on the integrity of the National Testing Agency itself and the manner in which NEET is designed and administered, he said.
The NCERT itself has lost all professionalism in the last decade, Ramesh claimed.
“Hopefully the new Standing Committee(s) when they get constituted will take up an in-depth review of NEET, NTA and NCERT. This should receive the highest priority,” he said.
The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG), conducted on May 5 across 4,750 centres, involved approximately 24 lakh candidates. Originally slated for June 14, the results were announced on June 4, coinciding with the general election results, due to early completion of answer sheet evaluations.
Allegations of question paper leaks and other irregularities have surfaced, particularly in states like Bihar, prompting scrutiny of the pan-India examination process.
In response to concerns, the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA) informed the Supreme Court on Thursday that they had revoked grace marks for 1,563 candidates seeking admission to MBBS and related courses. Affected candidates were given the choice to either opt for a re-test or decline compensatory marks awarded for time lost during the examination.
On Friday, the Congress party criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his silence on the issue, demanding a Supreme Court-monitored forensic investigation to ensure the fairness and future prospects of thousands of aspiring students.
Stalin on NEET
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, who is also the president of the ruling DMK said in a post on X, “The ongoing controversies around #NEET highlight its fundamentally inequitable nature. In a society where education has been denied for thousands of years, we should offer more opportunities for advancement of the oppressed. On the contrary, NEET hinders the opportunities of such students.”
He added, “Despite the Union Education Minister’s defense of the National Testing Agency (NTA), recent events paint a different picture. The Gujarat Police have registered an FIR over allegations of invigilators tampering with OMR sheets in exchange for monetary benefits, involving cheques worth several crore rupees and eight blank cheques. This conspiracy, implicating a school principal, a physics teacher, and several NEET coaching centres, underscores the urgent need for systemic change.”
Furthermore, the CM said, “From martyr Anitha to the countless students who have tragically taken their own lives, we have witnessed enough. NEET, an examination masquerading as a measure of merit, has repeatedly revealed itself as a pervasive scam affecting all levels of society. The union government must stop defending this anti-student, anti-social justice, and anti-poor NEET system.”
S Anitha, a Scheduled Caste Tamil girl, who knocked on the doors of the court to chase her dream to pursue a course in medicine ended her life in 2017.
Rahul Gandhi says a ‘scam in NEET’
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has criticised what he called a “scam in NEET,” stating it has caused devastation for over 24 lakh students and their families. Meanwhile, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the party’s general secretary, condemned the Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s “arrogant response,” which she claims disregards the concerns of these students and parents.
In addition to Congress, allies from other parties in India have also expressed their opposition to the examination. Tejaswi Yadav, the leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, commented that paper leaks are “inevitable” whenever the BJP is in power at the Centre or in the states.
Trinamool leader and West Bengal’s Education Minister Bratya Basu criticised the Centre for prioritizing a probe into alleged irregularities in teachers’ recruitment in the eastern state while remaining silent on investigating irregularities in NEET-UG.
Basu said that these irregularities had significant repercussions on the future careers of numerous aspiring doctors nationwide.