“Strict action will be taken against…”: Kiren Rijiju on NEET issue

New Delhi [India], July 3 (ANI): Amid the ongoing row over the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday claimed that strict action will be taken against the accused who played with the future of students.

Addressing a press conference, Kiren Rijiju said that the anti-paper leak law (Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024) came into effect and under that law, strict action would be taken.

“Today, the Prime Minister has written very clearly that strict steps have been taken and will be taken further too. We will take the strictest action against those who play with the future of students and if this happens, we will take more strict steps for that too, the Prime Minister has given assurance and steps are already being taken, in which a law has also been passed. Now under this law, action will be taken further too,” Rijiju said addressing a press conference on Wednesday.

“These people (opposition) keep abusing Modi from morning to evening and night and then they say that there is no freedom of speech,” he added.

Kiren Rijiju slammed the Congress for creating ruckus during PM Modi’s speech in Lok Sabha and said that this is the Opposition tradition of interrupting during the Prime Minister’s speech.

“When the Prime Minister of the country and the leader of the House present their views. In the House, at that time everyone has to listen whether it is the ruling party or the Opposition. In a democracy, everyone has the right to speak and also the right to listen. When the Prime Minister started speaking in the Lok Sabha, the Congress and some of their allies created a huge ruckus and disrupted the entire speech of the Prime Minister. It is very sad because when the Prime Minister of the country speaks, he is given full time to speak, this has been the tradition. If they want to interrupt or give clarification in between, then it is fine. Some interruptions are definitely done during the speech but you will not let him speak for the entire 2-hour by making noise and raising slogans. This has never happened. The Congress party will have to think that the Prime Minister of the country does not belong to any party. He leads the entire country,” he said.

Earlier today in Rajya Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that his government would not spare those involved in the alleged paper leak in the undergraduate medical entrance examinations.

The Prime Minister said that had expected all parties to speak on the issue in Parliament by “rising above politics” but it was unfortunate that such a sensitive issue was sacrificed to “politics”.

“The President in her address mentioned paper leak. I had expected all parties to speak by rising above party politics. But, unfortunately, they sacrificed even such a sensitive and important issue, an issue related to the future of the youth to politics. What can be a bigger misfortune than this?” said PM Modi.

The Prime Minister was replying to the debate on ‘motion of thanks’ on the President’s address in the Rajya Sabha.

He further assured the youth that the government would not spare those involved in the irregularities in the NEET-UG exams.

“I assure the youth of the country that this government is not going to spare those who cheated them. One action after the other is being taken to ensure that those who toyed with the future of the youth of my country get the strictest punishment. In Parliament, we have formed strict laws against these irregularities. We are strengthening the entire system so that the youth of my country do not have to be in a situation of apprehension in future and that they confidently showcase their capability and get what is rightfully theirs…” he said.

The NDA government is under fire from the Opposition on allegations of paper leaks pertaining to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).

The NEET UG examination was conducted by the National Testing Agency on May 5 at 4,750 centres in 571 cities in the country and 14 cities abroad with 23 lakh candidates appearing for the examination.

The results were declared on June 4, which immediately caused a hue and cry with aspirants raising multiple issues. An unprecedented 67 candidates achieved a perfect score of 720 marks out of 720 led to widespread protests in the country.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on June 23 registered a criminal case over the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the NEET-UG and UGC-NET exams by the NTA and formed special teams to probe the matter.