"NTA conducts all tests through private companies": Jairam Ramesh over NEET-UG row

New Delhi: Amid the ongoing controversy over the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), Congress leader and party general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Sunday alleged that the National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts all tests through private companies, adding that they will put forward their demands in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
The Congress leader demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, stating that this issue is not just about NEET but concerns all the institutions run by the Ministry of Education.
"In the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, we will put forward our demands regarding what this NTA (National Testing Agency) does. It conducts all tests through private companies. Where have the scams occurred? Bihar, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh are BJP-ruled states. There will be a discussion on this. Our Education Minister first says there is nothing, it is a minor matter. Later, they talk of a CBI investigation and form a high-level committee," he told ANI.
"We are demanding the resignation of the Education Minister. This is not just about NEET; it is also about NET, UGC, and NCERT. It concerns all the institutions run by the Ministry of Education. NTA is also an institution under the Ministry of Education, yet it gets all the work done through private companies," Jairam Ramesh added.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on June 23 registered a criminal case over the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the NEET-UG and UGC-NET exams by the NTA and formed special teams to probe the matter.
As per the agency's FIR, certain "isolated incidents" occurred in a few states during the conduct of the NEET (UG) 2024 examination, which was held on May 5.
Jairam Ramesh also posed a question to Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) Chief Nitish Kumar regarding the resolution passed demanding special status for Bihar and asked if the latter would have the same "courage" to pass the resolution through the state and union cabinets.
"The Congress party demands that the Constitution be amended so that the 50% limit imposed by the Supreme Court should be removed for the reservation of SC/ST and OBC. JD(U) does not say anything about this. They passed a resolution regarding category status. It is very easy to pass a resolution, but will they put pressure on their ally BJP in Patna and Delhi? Will the Chief Minister tell the Prime Minister that we are supporting you, give us special category status, get the caste census done, and remove the 50% limit? They are silent on this. It is very easy to say but very difficult to do, and there is a huge difference between saying and doing," he said.
The National Executive meeting of the JD(U) passed a resolution reiterating its long-standing demand for special status and a special package for Bihar, citing its economic and social backwardness.
Bihar leaders, including CM Kumar himself, have long advocated for special status and special packages for Bihar from the central government, citing the state's economic and social backwardness.