Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi, in a video message, urged the Centre to listen to the “voices” of lakhs of students and act on their “wishes” who have raised concerns over the NEET-JEE entrance examination.
She further stated that the students are “our future, if any decision has to be taken regarding their future it is important that it is taken with their concurrence.”
'Will File Review Appeal in SC': Mamata Banerjee
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that 7-8 chief ministers had taken a decision that on behalf of students to file an appeal for review in the Supreme Court. She further stated that ministers of six states have signed the petition.
Banerjee celebrated the foundation day of the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), the students’ wing of her party, earlier on Friday.
'Why Should Govt Force Anything on Students': Rahul
Hitting out at the Centre, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, in a video message directed towards the students and targeting the government, said that the safety of lakhs of students is being compromised due to “the government’s incompetency.”
He went on to say "what I don't understand is why you should be held responsible and why further pain should be imposed on you, so why should the government force anything on you?”
Rahul urged the government to have a conversation with NEET/JEE aspirants and resolve the issue “peacefully”.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Friday, 28 August, addressed a protest in Jaipur against NEET and JEE, as simultaneous protests took place in different states of the country, asking for the exams to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“If we keep raising the matter, Centre will have to consider the demands of people and postpone JEET, NEET examinations,” Pilot said, reported news agency ANI.
Meanwhile, protests against the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the Centre to go ahead with the NEET and JEE in September also took place in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Arunachal Pradesh, Ahmedabad, Delhi, and Karnataka, among other states.
This is in response to Congress leader Rahul’s call to the country to unite its voice with lakhs of suffering students.
“Let’s make the government listen to the students.”Rahul Gandhi
Review Petition Also Filed
Six states, which incidentally all have non-BJP governments, have also filed a review petition in the apex court against the court’s decision to go ahead with NEET and JEE in September. These states are West Bengal, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Punjab.
The petition filed before the Supreme Court will seek a review of its earlier judgment dated 17 August, in which a three-judge bench had dismissed a similar petition asking for the postponement of JEE Main and NEET UG exams.
Following the apex court’s dismissal, JEE Main was slated from 1 to 6 September and NEET UG on 13 September, as had been decided earlier by the National Testing Agency.
According to News18, the decision to file the review petition was taken during a meeting convened ahead of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament by Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi, in which a range of topics were addressed.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)