Kolkata, Jul 28 (PTI) The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), backed by a clutch of Sangh Parivar-affiliated organisations, on Tuesday launched a campaign across West Bengal to counter the Left-led mobilisation over the NEET question paper leak, accusing its rivals of exploiting students’ concerns to foment “anarchy” and push an “anti-national” agenda.
The show of strength, organised under the banner of Shiksha Sanskriti Suraksha Manch, saw parallel processions from Sealdah and Howrah converge at Esplanade in central Kolkata, where student leaders, teachers and academics addressed a rally attacking Left groups over both the NEET protests and the assault on journalists during last week’s demonstration in Kolkata.
The mobilisation marks the Sangh Parivar’s most coordinated intervention so far in the political battle over the NEET controversy in West Bengal, where Left-backed student organisations have dominated the streets for weeks through sustained protests against the alleged examination irregularities.
Tuesday’s programme also formally expanded the campaign beyond the ABVP, bringing together several Sangh-affiliated bodies working in the education sector, including organisations representing teachers, professors, non-teaching staff, educational institutions, historians and educationists under a common platform.
Leaders of the Manch alleged that while irregularities in the medical entrance examination deserved investigation and corrective action, sections of the opposition had transformed a students’ movement into a political campaign aimed at creating instability.
“We oppose every instance of examination malpractice. But under the guise of a student movement, there has been an organised attempt to spread disorder and malign the country,” an ABVP functionary said.
Addressing the gathering at Rani Rashmoni Avenue, speakers repeatedly targeted the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), — an expression increasingly used by sections of the Sangh Parivar for Left groups — accusing it of attempting to manufacture unrest through campus politics and street protests.
The speakers also criticised posters, slogans and memes used during recent demonstrations, describing them as “vulgar” and unbecoming of a genuine student movement.
The ABVP contingent formed the largest segment of Tuesday’s mobilisation, while teachers’ and academics’ bodies affiliated to the Sangh ecosystem also drew sizeable participation from districts across south Bengal.
The organisers had initially planned only a brief concluding meeting, but extended the programme for nearly an hour as both processions converged in central Kolkata.
The campaign had begun at the district level last week and is expected to continue through rallies, public meetings and awareness programmes across the state under the common banner.
The latest mobilisation comes days after violence erupted during a Left-backed protest march in Kolkata over the NEET issue, when clashes broke out and journalists covering the demonstration alleged they were assaulted.
Police later arrested 16 people under provisions of the state’s anti-riot legislation, alleging they had deliberately engineered violence during the march. The investigation is continuing.
The West Bengal government on Tuesday announced that no coercive measures would be taken against students participating in protests over the alleged irregularities in the NEET (UG) examination, while clarifying that the protection would not apply to persons with criminal antecedents.
Referring to the incident, speakers at Tuesday’s rally alleged that attacks on media persons had exposed the “real character” of those leading the protests and accused Left organisations of showing little faith in democratic methods.
The counter-campaign reflects an intensifying political contest over the NEET controversy in West Bengal, with rival ideological camps seeking to shape public opinion through competing narratives.
Left-backed student organisations have projected the issue as one of safeguarding the credibility of public examinations and holding the Centre accountable for alleged failures in conducting competitive tests.
The Sangh Parivar, on the other hand, has increasingly sought to recast the debate as one involving national interest, alleging that political groups are using student unrest as a vehicle to target the government and destabilise public order.
With both sides now planning statewide outreach programmes, the alleged examination scandal has evolved well beyond an academic controversy into another arena of ideological contestation in West Bengal’s polarised political landscape. PTI PNT NN
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