The Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress Committee (KPYCC) on Saturday took its anti-NEET campaign to the streets, holding a torchlight rally in Bengaluru and demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) question paper leak.The protest was held at Freedom Park and was led by KPYCC State President HS Manjunath. Hundreds of students and youth participated in the rally, carrying torches and raising slogans against alleged corruption in the examination system and demanding a transparent investigation into the controversy.
Protest centres on NEET controversy
Protesters raised slogans including “Save the Future of Students,” “Implement a Transparent Education System,” “Conduct a Fair Investigation into the NEET Scam,” and “Provide Treatment to the Education System.”Addressing the gathering, Manjunath accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central government of failing to ensure a transparent and credible examination system.“It is the responsibility of the Central Government to establish a transparent, corruption-free, and credible examination system. However, the BJP-led Central Government has failed in that responsibility and has jeopardised the future of 2.3 million students. Furthermore, it is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of students due to the NEET scam,” he alleged.He also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for praising Pradhan’s work in the education sector despite the ongoing controversy.“The Prime Minister praised the work of a minister who is responsible for the deaths of students due to the question paper leak. He did not even express condolences to the families of the deceased students,” Manjunath alleged.
‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign begins
The torchlight rally marked the first weekend of the Youth Congress’ “Chhatron Ki Goonj” campaign against NEET.The organisation said the campaign will include interactive sessions, anti-NEET music concerts, motivational speeches, walkathons and outreach programmes every weekend. Volunteers are also visiting colleges and universities to register students, with a target of enrolling 1.5 lakh participants.Speaking at the rally, Manjunath said the campaign would continue until students’ concerns were addressed.“No political gain is greater than the future of students… the Youth Congress will continue to stand with students until this movement reaches its logical conclusion,” he said.According to ANI, Youth Congress National Secretary Tariq Bhagwan, State Legal Cell President Sridhar, Bengaluru North District President Rahul Gowda, Bengaluru South District President Monish Reddy, Bengaluru East District President Ram Nayak and other leaders also attended the protest.(with agency inputs)
