Sonia Gandhi-led Opposition puts up united front against Centre, calls for postponing NEET, JEE

Interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday (August 26, 2020) lashed out at the Centre and said that students' problems and the NEET and JEE examination issue has been dealt with uncaringly by Narendra Modi regime.

New Delhi: Interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday (August 26, 2020) lashed out at the Centre and said that students' problems and the NEET and JEE examination issue has been dealt with uncaringly by the Narendra Modi regime.

While addressing a meeting of Congress chief ministers via video-conferencing, Sonia Gandhi said, “We have to work and fight together against Central government. Students' problems and NEET and JEE exams issue has been dealt with uncaringly by the Centre.”

The Congress president said that the Centre’s National Education Policy is a ''setback to secular and scientific values and reveals insensitivity of the NDA government.''

The veteran Congress leader also accused the Narendra Modi-led NDA government of weakening the laws made to protect the environment, public health sector, adding that the draft EIA legislation is ''anti-democratic.''

Training her guns at the Centre, Sonia Gandhi said that the Centre’s refusal to compensate states on the GST is nothing short of betrayal by Modi government of states, people.

The crucial meeting is being attended by the Chief Ministers of the Congress-ruled states and also the Chief Ministers of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee and Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray.

Among those present in the meeting are -  Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, Puducherry CM V Narayanasamy, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren along with the West Bengal and Maharashtra Chief Ministers.

Speaking on her turn, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee urged all the CMs to together to approach the Supreme Court for postponing NEET, JEE exams as students are not prepared for it.

She alleged that the state governments have been 'bulldozed' by Centre in name of cooperative federalism. “We are fighting the battle,” Mamata Banerjee said the at the meeting of opposition CMs.

While Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren said that the ruling BJP is using central agencies against the Opposition, undermining the federal structure, his Maharashtra counterpart Uddhav Thackeray said that “we should decide whether we have to fight or fear the Centre.’’

On his turn, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh urged all the chief ministers to go to PM Modi and apprise him of revenue loss and the current situation in states. 

Sonia and opposition CMs are discussing the students' protests over JEE and NEET examinations, which are scheduled to be held in September. The Centre’s refusal to postpone the JEE and NEET examinations has triggered protests by students who are demanding that the entrances be postponed in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

The virtual meeting, which began at 2.30 PM, comes a day ahead of the meeting of the GST Council on Thursday.

During the meeting, the opposition Chief Ministers called for a joint effort to pressurise the government to postpone the exams at a time when the country is battling a surge in Covid-19 cases. They also agreed that the Centre must give compensation to states who have reported a loss of revenue because of the GST in the time of the pandemic.

While the Joint Entrance Examination (Main) is scheduled from September 1-6, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) is planned on September 13. A total of 9.53 lakh candidates have registered for JEE-Mains, and 15.97 lakh students have registered for NEET.

There have been demands from several quarters to further postpone the entrance exams in view of increasing coronavirus cases.

Even after repeated requests from students, the National Testing Agency (NTA) once again on Tuesday said that the examinations will held on the scheduled dates. Last Friday, it had informed that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) will be held as scheduled on September 13, while the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) will be held from September 1 to 6.

Meanwhile, IIT Delhi Director V Ramgopal Rao has warned that any further delay in conducting entrance exams JEE and NEET will have 'serious repercussions' on not only the academic calendar but also career of bright students.