"Will keep pressurising govt...": Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on NEET issue

"Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan should have responded. He spoke about the Supreme Court and PM Modi but he is not able to say what is he doing on this. NEET is a very important issue for the youth. We have always asked for discussion in the Parliament but the government is not interested. We will keep raising this issue and keep pressuring the government," Rahul Gandhi told reporters outside the Parliament.

Speaking in Lok Sabha during the Budget Session that got underway this morning, Gandhi asked Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan about the various steps the Ministry is undertaking to fix the alleged "systemic" rot in the present examination system and claimed that millions of students believe that the "system" is "fraud."

"As this is a systemic issue, what exactly are you doing to fix this issue at the systemic level," Rahul Gandhi asked.

Elaborating on his claim that all major examinations in the country suffer from a "serious problem," Gandhi said, "It is obvious to the whole country that there is a very serious problem in our examination system. This is not just in the question of NEET but in all the major examinations."

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan addressed questions on the NEET-UG paper leak issue, stating that the central government has nothing to hide and has submitted all the facts regarding the matter to the Supreme Court.

"The government has nothing to hide. We have put all the facts before the Supreme Court. Right now, the Supreme Court is hearing the case. So let's wait and see what instructions the court gives. This House is open for any kind of discussion," Pradhan said in response to a question raised by Congress MP Manickam Tagore.

The Education Minister claimed that there had been no evidence of paper leaks in the last seven years, except for a "singular incident" in Patna during the recent NEET-UG held on May 5 this year.

"There is no evidence of paper leaks in the last seven years. This case is currently before the Supreme Court, and all the facts have come out. The Chief Justice of India is presiding over the case," he said.

"Since the establishment of the National Testing Agency (NTA), more than 240 exams have been conducted, with over 5 crore students applying and more than 4.5 crore students successfully participating in the examinations," he added.

The Budget Session of Parliament that began today will have 16 sittings spread over 22 days. Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju said that this session will mainly be devoted to financial business relating to the Union Budget for 2024-25 which will be presented to Lok Sabha on July 23. (ANI)