NEET exam row: Congress questions Central stand, warns of Parliament standoff

Congress on Thursday questioned the rationale behind the government ruling out corruption and paper leak in the NEET exam row without conducting a "proper" probe. Maintaining that grace marks was not the only issue, the Opposition asked why the National Testing Agency should be assigned to look into the issue when the agency itself and its brass be under the scanner and be made accountable to the mess. The party reiterated its demand for a SC-monitored probe and signalled a major protest by the INDIA bloc in Parliament over the NEET issue.

"Grace marks was not the only problem in the NEET exam. There has been rigging, papers have been leaked, corruption has taken place. The future of 24 lakh students appearing in the NEET examination is at stake due to the actions of the Modi government. A nexus of exam centre and coaching centre has been formed, where the game of 'pay money, get paper' is being played. The Modi government cannot escape its responsibility by placing the responsibility of its actions on the shoulders of NTA. Congress demands a fair investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court into the entire NEET scam. After investigation, the culprits should be given the harshest punishment...," said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

AICC spokesperson Gaurav Gogoi hit out at the PM saying: "We believe that no inquiry can be just, fair and comprehensive, if the inquiry is headed by the NTA itself."