NEET-UG Controversy: How did opposition parties react to the 'SCAM'

New Delhi: On Thursday, the Centre proposed a retest for 1,563 NEET-UG 2024 candidates on June 23, following accusations of paper leaks and irregularities. This move comes after controversy erupted when 67 students scored a perfect 720, raising questions about the fairness of the exam. The Supreme Court has allowed counseling to proceed but did not halt the retest plans.

Allegations of unfair grace marks

Petitions have been filed seeking the cancellation of the NEET-UG due to the arbitrary awarding of grace marks. It is alleged that up to 1,500 students benefited unfairly from these marks, with concerns about the statistical improbabilities of the high scores. The results of the retest are expected by June 30, and counseling is set to begin on July 6.

Tamil Nadu govt condemns

Opposition parties have expressed strong reactions to the incident. The Tamil Nadu government criticized the Centre over alleged NEET irregularities, denouncing the awarding of grace marks as fraudulent. State Health Minister Ma Subramanian condemned the National Testing Agency (NTA) for causing confusion among the 23 lakh candidates, noting that Tamil Nadu did not receive any grace marks. “The National Testing Agency has to be blamed for the irregularities and confusion arising due to the conduct of the test, especially awarding grace marks. What was the basis for granting grace marks, and has this decision been communicated to the NEET aspirants?” Subramanian questioned.

Protests in West Bengal

Protests erupted near West Bengal’s Education Department HQ in Salt Lake, with accusations of irregularities and delays in state college admissions due to the NEET-UG controversy. Members of the All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) marched to Bikash Bhavan with placards but were stopped and detained by police. Protesters claimed that the NEET-UG disputes were endangering the futures of aspiring doctors.

TMC calls it BJP's 'Biggest Scam'

TMC spokesperson Santanu Sen alleged that the BJP-led government at the Centre was playing with the future of students. “This is one of the biggest scams of the BJP-led central government. The BJP is playing with the future of lakhs of students. We demand a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into this entire NEET-UG scandal, which has affected around 24 lakh students,” said Sen, who is also a doctor.

Congress' Call for a probe

The Congress has renewed calls for a Supreme Court-monitored probe into NEET, alleging irregularities and demanding the removal of the NTA Director General. Party secretary Jairam Ramesh criticized the government, saying the “one-third padhan mantri’s” administration has tried to wriggle its way out of the simmering NEET controversy and scam.

“It has assured the Supreme Court that grace marks given to 1,563 students will be cancelled. But why were the grace marks given in the first place? The primary reason appears to be one physics question in the paper which gave four options. According to the new NCERT Class 12 textbook, one of the four was right. But on the basis of an older textbook, another option could also be considered right,” he stated.