Karnataka: Youth Congress protests in Ballari, demands Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over NEET issues

Ballari: Hundreds of students and Youth Congress workers staged a protest at Royal Circle in Ballari on Monday, demanding the scrapping of NEET and the reinstatement of the state-level Common Entrance Test (CET) system for medical admissions. They also sought the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

According to a press release, the protest was organised under the banner of 'Vidyarthi Dhwani' as part of a statewide awareness campaign on issues concerning the education system.

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Protesters expressed anger against the central government for its "failure to conduct NEET in a transparent manner."

Speaking to reporters, Youth Congress State President HS Manjunath Gowda alleged that question paper leaks and the need for re-examinations were a matter of "shame".

He further claimed that the irregularities in NEET had led to the suicide of 21 students across the country and held the Union Education Minister responsible. "Dharmendra Pradhan should be sacked from the post of Education Minister immediately," he demanded.

The press release further stated that the protesters urged the government to do away with NEET and reintroduce the state-level Common Entrance Test (CET) for medical admissions. They argued that a state-level exam would be more accessible and transparent for Karnataka students.

Manjunath Gowda said the Youth Congress has launched an awareness campaign across the state to educate students about the problems in the current examination system. "Through this agitation, we want to create awareness among students and pressure the Centre to reconsider its policy," he said.

The demonstration ended with sloganeering against the BJP-led central government. No untoward incident was reported during the protest, the press release said.

Meanwhile, Congress leader B K Hariprasad on Sunday criticised the Centre over alleged irregularities in the education system, saying the party's 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' campaign, launched by Rahul Gandhi in Kota, Rajasthan, aims to protest against the "disastrous performance" of the Education Ministry.

He alleged that repeated question paper leaks had affected lakhs of students and accused the government of failing to act against Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Speaking to ANI, he said, "The program was launched by our leader Rahul Gandhi in Kota, Rajasthan, to protest against the disastrous performance of the Education Ministry. Even after a series of question paper leaks, and despite this being brought to the notice of PM Narendra Modi, he has not taken any action against the Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan. "

As a part of the campaign, Rahul Gandhi is expected to visit Dehradun on July 17 to interact with the youth in the State's capital as part of the ongoing nationwide campaign 'Chhatron Ki Goonj'.

An AICC office-bearer informed over the phone that preparations for the upcoming 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' event in Dehradun are currently underway.

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It is worth noting that Gandhi last visited Uttarakhand on June 4. However, due to inclement weather, his public rally in Almora and his interaction program with ex-servicemen in Pauri Garhwal had to be postponed.

The nationwide campaign called "Chhatron Ki Goonj" (Students' Echo) aims to focus attention on problems facing students, including exam irregularities and the broader state of India's education system.