Rahul says Modi govt must listen to NEET, JEE aspirants, shouldn’t force decision on them
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Rahul says Modi govt must listen to NEET, JEE aspirants, shouldn’t force decision on them

In a video message, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also said Modi govt should take any decision on holding NEET-JEE after a conversation is held and a consensus reached.

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Wayanad MP and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi | Photo: ANI

File image of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi | Photo: ANI

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Friday said the safety of NEET and JEE aspirants should not be compromised due to the “failures of the government”, as he hit out at the ruling dispensation for its decision to hold medical and engineering entrance exams amid the Covid pandemic.

While the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), for admission to medical colleges, is slated for 13 September, the JEE-Mains, primarily for the IITs, are scheduled to be held between 1 and 6 September.

“NEET-JEE aspirants’ safety should not be compromised due to the failures of the government. The government must listen to all stakeholders and arrive at a consensus,” Gandhi tweeted, sharing a video message for students as well as the government.

The Congress leader also targeted the Narendra Modi government over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, calling it “incompetent”.

“You’re the future of this country. You are the students and you are going to take this country to new heights. Everybody understands what has happened in the last 3-4 months,” Gandhi said in his video address for the students.

“Everybody understands the mishandling of Covid, the way the epidemic has been handled. The devastation that has been caused, the economic destruction and the pain that this country had to bear.”

The Congress leader also said he wonders why students should be held “responsible” and that he doesn’t understand what the NEET-JEE aspirants have done “wrong” to undergo further “pain”.

“What I don’t understand is why you should be held responsible and why further pain should be imposed on you… I can clearly see that the government has been incompetent,” Gandhi said.

Also read: Education minister skips NEET-JEE in think-tank speech, bats for govt’s ‘mother tongue’ push

‘Shouldn’t force anything on students’

The Wayanad MP further questioned as to why the government should “force” anything on students.

“It’s important that the government listens to the students. They are wise, they have the interest of the country at heart,” Gandhi said, adding that any decisions in regard to these exams should be made after a conversation is held and a consensus is reached.

“You have already caused enough destruction to them, you have hurt the students of this country, please listen to them, have a conversation and resolve this issue peacefully,” Gandhi said in his message to the Centre.

The Congress has launched a campaign, ‘Speak up for students’, against the government’s decision to hold NEET and JEE. The party’s official Twitter handle has posted several videos of senior Congress leaders, including interim party president Sonia Gandhi, speaking out against the decision on the exams.