NEET-UG Exam Row: Dharmendra Pradhan Says No Leak Of Question Papers As Oppn Seeks His Scalp

New Delhi: Amid an all-out attack by the Opposition over the NEET issue and demand for his resignation, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday told the Lok Sabha that ‘no evidence of paper leak has been found in the last 7 years’.

“With full responsibility I would like to state that no evidence of paper leak has been found in the last 7 years. This (NEET) matter is going on before the Supreme Court. More than 240 exams have been conducted successfully after NTA…,” he said, responding to allegations of ‘7 years, 70 times’ leak by the Opposition.

This came minutes after Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud in Supreme Court observed that the statements of the accused indicate students were gathered to memorise on evening of May 4 and that means leak of NEET-UG 2024 happened before May 4.

OPPOSITION ATTACK

Launching a scathing attack on the Central government over handling of the NEET paper leak row, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said there is a very serious problem in the examination system. “The minister (Dharmendra Pradhan) has blamed everyone but himself. I doubt he even grasps the fundamental issues at play,” he said.

The Congress leader also noted, “The issue at hand is that millions of students in the country are deeply concerned and believe that the Indian examination system is compromised. There is a widespread perception that wealth can influence and manipulate the system. This sentiment is also shared by many in the Opposition”.

“As this (NEET) is a systematic issue, what exactly are you doing to fix it?” he further asked.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav also slammed the government, claiming it is setting new records for paper leaks. “There are some centres where more than 2,000 students have passed. Students nationwide are protesting, investigations are revealing more, and arrests are being made. As long as this minister (Dharmendra Pradhan) is there, the students will not get justice.”

DHARMENDRA’S RESPONSE

Hitting back, Dharmendra said he does not need a certification of intelligence from anyone in Parliament. “…A lie will not become truth just by shouting. The fact that the Leader of Opposition says that the country’s examination system is rubbish, is highly condemnable…”

“Over the past seven years, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has conducted more than 240 exams, with over 5 crore students applying and over 4 crore participating. While there have been incidents, the current case is under the Supreme Court’s scrutiny, with the Chief Justice personally overseeing the proceedings,” he said, adding that the Centre’s is “hiding nothing”.

In a “remote control” jab at the Congress, Dharmendra mentioned about three Bills for education reforms introduced by their minister Kapil Sibal in 2010. “One of them was to prohibit unfair practices. What was their problem? Under whose pressure was that Bill withdrawn. Was it due to the pressure of private medical colleges? And they are asking us questions,” he said.

The Education Minister further stated  that the NEET-UG 2024 results have been made public as per the SC’s directions. “I don’t want to do politics, but I have a list of how many paper leaks happened when Akhilesh Yadav was in charge (as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister),” he said.

Responding to Congress MP B Manickam Tagore question if the minister will consider resigning amid the massive row, Dharmendra said, “I am at the mercy of my leader, whenever accountability comes, the government is collectively answerable to that.”