"We want NEET to be abolished...": DMK leader TKS Elangovan

DMK leader TKS Elangovan said on Sunday that his party wanted the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test to be abolished, adding that the entrance examination favours the rich and is riddled with "fraud."

DMK leader TKS Elangovan said on Sunday that his party wanted the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test to be abolished, adding that the entrance examination favours the rich and is riddled with "fraud." "We want the NEET exam to be abolished. Whoever gets good marks in school, should be given admission to professional colleges. Why is there any need for NEET? If there is a NEET, then there is fraud," Elangovan told ANI.

"Only rich people can join some institutes and get trained. However, poor people who get good marks in school may not be able to get admission to medical colleges," he added. Amid the row over the NEET-UG and UGC-NET exams, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday registered a criminal case for irregularities in the exam and formed special teams to probe the matter.

Early on Sunday, the central government entrusted the probe into the alleged irregularities in the NEET 2024 exam to the CBI. As per the agency's FIR, certain "isolated incidents" occurred in a few states during the conduct of the NEET (UG) 2024 examination, which was held on May 5, 2024.The NEET (UG) 2024 Examination was conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on May 5, 2024, at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 cities abroad, with over 23 lakh candidates appearing for the examination.

The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducted the NEET-UG exams, is facing criticism over alleged irregularities in the exams. This resulted in several protests across the country, with protestors and political parties demanding to disband the NTA. An unprecedented 67 candidates achieved a perfect score of 720 marks out of 720, which added to the concerns. Meanwhile, the opposition leaders have sharpened their attack on the central government over the alleged irregularities in the NEET exams.

Earlier today, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra lashed out at the Centre and claimed that under the BJP's rule, the entire education system has been handed over to the "mafia" and the "corrupt". Taking to 'X', Vadra wrote, "NEET-UG:- paper leak, NEET-PG:- cancelled, UGC-NET:- cancelled, CSIR-NET:- Cancelled! Today this is the condition of some of the biggest examinations in the country. Under the BJP rule, the entire education system has been handed over to the mafia and the corrupt. The political stubbornness and arrogance of handing over the country's education and the future of the children to greedy and sycophantic incompetent people have made paper leaks, cancellation of exams, disappearance of education from campuses and political hooliganism the identity of our education system."

"The situation has become such that the BJP government cannot conduct even an examination fairly. Today, the BJP government has become the single biggest hurdle in front of the future of the youth. The capable youth of the country are wasting their precious time and energy in fighting the corruption of the BJP and the helpless Modi ji is just watching the spectacle", she added. Meanwhile, Congress workers in Jharkhand staged a protest over the alleged irregularities in the NEET exam.

Expressing their outrage, protesters burnt an effigy of the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The CPI (M) on Sunday demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the allegation of irregularities and paper leaks in the NEET-UG 2024 examination. The party also called for the scrapping of the "centralised" NEET exams. (ANI)

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