The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) student wing CYSS and youth wing staged protest on Wednesday outside the residence of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, condemning the alleged rigging in the NEET exam. The demonstrators, led by AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha and CYSS State President Kamal Tiwari, called for the minister’s resignation and demanded the re-conduction of the NEET exam to ensure fairness and equal opportunity for all students.
The protest witnessed a heavy police presence, which intervened to prevent the demonstrators from meeting Minister Pradhan. The situation escalated when the police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the crowd, leading to the detention of several protestors. Despite this, the determined protesters continued to raise slogans against the Union Education Minister, demanding his resignation on moral grounds.
Addressing the media, Sanjeev Jha expressed the party’s firm stance against the NEET exam rigging, emphasizing the detrimental impact it has had on thousands of students. “The government is playing with the future of the country’s youth. This rigging has affected lakhs of students, jeopardizing their future,” Jha stated. He reiterated that AAP would continue its fight for justice, from the streets to Parliament, until the NEET exam is canceled and a thorough investigation is conducted under the supervision of a retired judge.
The proteste was joined by many doctors joined the protest with slogans such as “Shame on the Education Minister” and “Stop Commercialization of Education” echoed throughout the demonstration.
One of the protesting students highlighted the unfairness of the situation, saying, “Earlier, there were scams, but now our exam papers are being leaked. Those with money pass easily, while hardworking, poor students suffer. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan should resign on moral grounds. The Modi government must acknowledge this failure, apologize to the nation, and ensure a fair re-examination.”
Sanjeev Jha, leading the protest, accused the Union government of failing to address the issue despite clear evidence of rigging. “We have raised this issue continuously through press conferences and protests. We wanted to meet Minister Pradhan to demand the cancellation and re-investigation of the NEET exam. What was the fault of the children who were making their last attempt at NEET and became victims of this paper leak?” he questioned.
Jha also called for the formation of an investigative committee under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge to restore faith in the examination process. “We want students to be assured that their hard work will be recognized and rewarded based on merit. Today’s police action against peaceful protestors raises the question: what is Minister Dharmendra Pradhan afraid of?” he concluded.