Mangaluru: Former minister and senior Congress leader B Ramanath Rai on Wednesday slammed the Union government over the alleged NEET exam paper leak, calling it a serious failure that has shaken the trust of 22-23 lakh students who prepared for the exam day and night.
Rai's Criticism of Union Education Ministry
Addressing media persons here, Rai said the leaks showed the complete failure of the Union education ministry to protect the sanctity of national examinations. He questioned what action had been taken against those responsible in previous cases.
Demanding a transparent and impartial investigation, Rai said public trust in government agencies had weakened despite the case being handed over to the CBI. He also alleged that mafia-like networks could be operating within coaching institutions.
Call for Resignation of Education Minister
Rai took a jab at Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, saying the former was "not ready to talk to the media," adding that "he had better resign."
"When petrol and diesel prices increase, they say limit usage. When it comes to demonetisation, they say they bear the current problems. During Covid, they spoke about self-reliance. When it came to taxes and increased prices, they told people to have patience. The Centre is giving different slogans every time and cheating the people," he said.
Referring to the Prime Minister's statement on gold, Rai said, "Gold for the country's women is not a metal piece, it is their dream, family's pride, and security." Demanding that Prime Minister Modi resign, he said, "He tells everyone not to use gold and fuel; however, he roams all around the globe."
NSUI Plans Protest and Signature Campaign
Meanwhile, the National Students Union of India (NSUI) plans to organise a major protest against the NEET exam paper leak case, said NSUI district president Suhan Alva.
Alva said NSUI would also launch signature campaigns in the district and submit a petition to the education department and National Testing Agency (NTA). "Several students have been reaching out to me through social media and sharing their problems. Students feel that they have wasted one-two years of their life. Imagine the mental trauma they are going through," he told TOI.
He also questioned the silence of the ABVP on the issue. "Why are they [ABVP] silent now? Is it because this is done by their own education minister, who was also in ABVP and RSS? All of them are together in this," he alleged.
