NEET UG Row: Pradhan Says SC Verdict Defeat Of Congress' 'Petty Politics'

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday said that the Supreme Court's decision on the controversy surrounding the NEET UG examination is a defeat of Congress' "petty politics" and "irresponsible attitude".

Launching a scathing attack at the grand old party, Pradhan said that the Congress is the "originator" of paper leaks and corruption.

The minister said that the apex court, in its order, has clearly stated that there has been no systemic breach in the sanctity of the national level medical examination. "The Hon'ble High Court also reviewed the Data Comparison of 2022, 2023 and 2024 and did not find any discrepancy," he said in his post on X.

"Congress does not trust the Government of India, but does it not trust the Honourable High Court?" Pradhan asked.

Hitting out at Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge whether he is aware of the paper leaks that took place in Rajasthan before the BJP government came to power.

Why did Kharge keep mum on the paper leaks that happened in his government? Respected @kharge ji is calling the Congress party the police officer. Congress is the originator of paper leaks and corruption. What can be a bigger irony than calling the originator of corruption the police officer?" Pradhan asked.

"The people of the country have rejected Congress for the third time in a row. Congress is unable to digest the third consecutive defeat. To make political gains and save its rapidly slipping political ground, Congress has only the support of lies, half truths and anarchy," the Education Minister said.

He said neither Kharge nor Congress MP Rahul Gandhi nor the grand old party is concerned about the students' future, adding that they only care about the future of one family.

"The Supreme Court's decision on the NEET issue is not a defeat of students but a defeat of Congress's irresponsible attitude, fallacy and petty politics," Pradhan added.

He reiterated Modi government's priority of "zero-error examination", noting that steps are being taken to ensure tamper-proof examination.

"Kharge ji, you are a senior leader. Such tampering with facts and truth is a big question mark on your intelligence. Stop tarnishing the image of India's examination system and playing with the future of students," Pradhan added.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday, in its verdict on the pleas against the alleged irregularities and re-test demand of the NEET UG exam, refused to cancel this year's medical test.

The apex court said that there wasn't enough material to show that the sanctity of the entire examination had been affected, adding that it realises that ordering a fresh test would have serious consequences for the more than 24 lakh aspirants who appeared for the NEET UG 2024 exam.

The top court had also asked the National Testing Agency (NTA) to revise its merit list by treating the answer suggested by a panel of three experts of IIT Delhi to a controversial physics question as correct.