The recent NEET-UG controversy has sparked widespread outrage and debate across India, with allegations of irregularities and corruption tainting the credibility of one of the country’s most important entrance examinations. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has taken a strong stance against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing the government of ignoring youths’ dreams and aspirations. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of the controversy and Priyanka Gandhi’s critique of the Center’s handling of the situation.

Priyanka Gandhi over NEET-UG Controversy

Allegations of smuggled papers and disputed grace marks have prompted a probe into the NTA examination, which was administered to 2.4 million students across 4,750 venues.

Addressing the purported anomalies pertaining to the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET-UG), Congresswoman Priyanka Gandhi Vadra chastised the BJP administration on Friday. She said that as soon as the administration assumed office, it began to target youths’ dreams.

“As soon as the new BJP government was sworn in, it started attacking youths’ dreams once again,” Vadra remarked in response to the social media scandal. The indignation of 2.4 million students and their parents is totally disregarded by the Education Minister’s (Dharmendra Pradhan) haughty reaction to the anomalies in the NEET exam results. Is the Minister of Education blind to the facts that are readily available to the public?

Allegations of stolen papers and contentious grace marks have put the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) May 5 exam—which was administered to around 2.4 million students across 4,750 centers—under examination. This is concerning since an exceptionally high percentage of students—67—achieved a flawless score of 720.

She said that the administration was neglecting the youth. Who exactly is the government attempting to safeguard inside the system if it is disregarding millions of adolescents and their parents? Young people’s dreams shouldn’t be sacrificed on the altar of this dishonest examination system, right?

Gandhi stressed in her post that the government ought to act upon the concerns raised by parents and students rather than dismissing them. She wrote, “The BJP government needs to set aside its arrogance and seriously consider the future of the youth, taking steps to prevent corruption in examinations.”

भाजपा की नई सरकार ने शपथ लेते ही युवा सपनों पर फिर से प्रहार शुरू कर दिया। NEET परीक्षा परिणाम में गड़बड़ियों पर शिक्षा मंत्री का अहंकार भरा जवाब 24 लाख छात्रों एवं उनके अभिभावकों की चीख-पुकार की पूरी तरह से अनदेखी करता है। क्या शिक्षा मंत्री जी को सार्वजनिक रूप से मौजूद तथ्य…

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) June 14, 2024

Digvijay Singh Over NEET-UG Controversy

Digvijay Singh said that NTA will be held accountable for any flaws discovered in the NEET-UG controversy. Digvijay Singh, a Congress leader and former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, has demanded an investigation into the anomalies in the top medical exam and has stated that the entire test has to be canceled.

“I urge that the test be canceled in its entirety and rescheduled as soon as feasible. Under the new law passed by Parliament, there should be a comprehensive and unbiased investigation, and those found guilty should receive the toughest sentence possible,” Singh stated in a post on X.

It is the NEET-UG “scandal,” according to Singh, who also called it “extremely serious.”

“There is a significant issue surrounding NEET (UG)-2024. This widespread nationwide version of the Madhya Pradesh Vyapam fraud raises serious questions about the nationwide Testing Agency’s (NTA) integrity and presents it as crooked and faulty. The Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill 2024, which was passed by Parliament in February 2024, established strict laws; yet, NTA carried out a statewide fraud for a significant exam such as NEET.”

He asked, “Shouldn’t the government take these points into serious consideration? How did the NEET test paper leak on May 4 in Patna when it was held on May 5, 2024? When a FIR was filed on May 6th against individuals who were apprehended in Patna, why did the government do nothing? The exam’s registration dates were announced by NTA to take place between February 9 and March 9, 2024. After then, the date was moved to March 16. For a single day on April 10, why was the online registration window reopened?

Students pooled money to purchase the NEET question paper for 60 crore rupees, according to an Uttar Pradesh newspaper on May 6. Nevertheless, on May 6, 2024, the NTA released a press release denouncing these accusations as unfounded and refusing to take them seriously.

How did they accomplish that? How come 67 students received a perfect score of 720 out of 720 when the exam results were announced in June 2024, but in the past only 2 students received a score of 720 in 2020, 3 in 2021, 0 in 2022, and only 2 in 2023? How did the All India Rank-1 toppers’ count rise by 5625% over the previous year? This is unexpected, isn’t it?” he added.

NTA Questions Over NEET-UG Controversy

Concurrently, the NTA notified the Supreme Court on Thursday that it would nullify the scores of 1563 applicants who obtained “grace marks” in the NEET-UG examination. On June 23, these candidates will have the chance to repeat the test; the results will be made public on June 30.

A committee has been established to examine the results of the applicants who received additional marks because of challenges they encountered during the NEET-UG exam. The NTA further notified the bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta. “The scores of 1563 NEET-UG 2024 participants who received grace marks will not be validated by the committee; instead, these students will be offered the chance to repeat the exam. The test is scheduled for June 23, and the findings will be released by June 30 at the latest, according to the NTA.

Singh inquired further as to whether students who chose not to approach the court were treated unfairly. “Out of 1,563 pupils who came before the court over the controversy surrounding their dual responses to questions, they received honors. And those pupils who were unable to access the legal system? In one exam center located in Jhajjar, Haryana, eight pupils achieved a perfect score of 720 out of 720, despite one student having failed the exam for their 12th class? “I wonder why none of these top scorers from this center have the same last name.” he said.

Concerns concerning the exam’s grace mark distribution were also voiced by him. How could eight students from an exam center in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, get 720 out of 720 if the Bihar police suspected anomalies and looked into it, and the NTA denied any paper leak? And what grades—716, 718, and 719—did some of the pupils at this center receive? Which formula was used to assign grades 718 and 719 to students? As per the prescribed algorithm, a student who provides an inaccurate response to a question forfeits the 4 marks assigned to that question and receives a 1-mark negative grading; thus, the highest possible score for a single incorrect response is 715 marks,” he clarified.

Noting that students from Odisha, Karnataka, and Jharkhand chose Gujarat as their exam center, Singh chastised the government. Additionally, he stated that the day before the exam was supposed to take place, the paper was leaked on the instant messaging service Telegram. “Why did the NTA still maintain its innocence in the face of this proof? Why did the government ignore the claims that students in Gujarat paid bribes amounting to 20 to 25 lakh rupees through an overseas education consultant? Why were English-language question papers handed to Hindi-language students at a Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan, exam center? 

The Honorable Supreme Court has questioned the validity of NEET and mandated that 1563 candidates who were given grace marks on June 23, 2024, retake the exam. This won’t help the pupils who were unable to go before the court,” he said.