Congress MPs write to Lok Sabha, MoE over NEET irregularities

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Saying that there are widespread concerns and allegations of irregularities in the conduct of NEET UG, both the MPs expressed concern that the issue has caused ‘immense distress and anxiety among lakhs of students who appeared for the exam and their families’.

Reports of alleged paper leaks, discrepancies in question papers, and malfunctioning of test centers have created a sense of injustice and raised serious doubts about the fairness of the entire examination process, Gogoi added in the letter to the Secretary General of the Lok Sabha seeking adjournment motion.

These irregularities, he said, if true, have the potential to shatter the aspirations of deserving students and undermine the credibility of this crucial entrance exam.

“It is imperative for the Government to take immediate and decisive action to address these concerns. This is a matter of grave national importance that requires urgent attention. Therefore, I urge [the] house to take up this issue for a discussion on priority so we can ensure that the concerns of the students and their families are heard and addressed effectively. I hereby request permission to raise the matter,” the letter read.

Meanwhile, Tharoor in the letter to the Education Ministry said: “Undoubtedly, the shoddy organisation and handling of the NEET UG and NEET PG fiasco by the NTA, the NBE and the Government has shattered the morale of lakhs of aspirants, far many of whom, belonging to disadvantaged backgrounds, such competitive exams as the NEET are pathways to a brighter future.”

He further added: “The NEET PG, it must be mentioned, was postponed at a notice of less than twelve hours, this caused inordinate inconvenience to these students whose examination centres were in distant cities, obliging them to make arrangements for accommodation at the last moment, only for the test to be called off.”

Tharoor urged the Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan to fast-track the investigation process of NEET UG and urgently direct the appropriate authority to initiate an interface with the aggrieved NEET aspirants and their families, in addition to seeking their suggestions.

“Frequent rescheduling is equivalent to delivering repeated blows to candidates who spend months, at times, years preparing for an exam. Keeping this in mind, another date for the NEET-PG examination should be decided urgently to save the candidates from slipping into an agonising slump of uncertainty,” he added.