The opposition is set to raise the issue of alleged irregularities in the conduct of the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET) in Parliament today. The INDIA bloc, a coalition of opposition parties, met earlier today at Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s house to strategize their approach. The leaders have declared their intention to bring the NEET issue to the floor of the House.
DMK MP Tiruchi Siva, speaking after the INDIA bloc meeting, stated that they will submit notices regarding the NEET issue on Friday. The opposition leaders have also indicated that if the matter isn’t debated on Friday, they will resort to a protest within the Parliament.
Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh emphasized that several issues were discussed during the meeting, including the President’s address and the election of the speaker. He assured that all these issues will be brought up in Parliament. The INDIA bloc leaders have further committed to participate in the debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s address from Monday onwards.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, after attending the meeting, reiterated that all burning issues of the country will be raised in Parliament. Hanuman Beniwal, President of the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, echoed the sentiment of unity among the opposition, stating that they will bring up NEET alongside other critical issues like Agniveer, inflation, unemployment, and MSP in the coming days.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a criminal case following the controversy surrounding the NEET-UG and UGC-NET exams. A special team has been formed to investigate alleged irregularities in the NTA’s conduct of the examinations. The CBI’s FIR states that certain isolated incidents occurred during the NEET (UG) 2024 examination held on May 5th, 2024, in several states.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducted the NEET (UG) 2024 Examination at 4,750 centers across 571 cities, including 14 cities abroad. Over 23 lakh candidates appeared for the exam, and a remarkable 67 candidates achieved a perfect score of 720 out of 720. This unprecedented achievement sparked widespread protests across the country. In response, the Ministry of Education has constituted a high-level committee of experts to provide recommendations on reforming the examination process, strengthening data security protocols, and improving the NTA’s functioning.
