A new political row has erupted over the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) UG re-examination after several students allegedly reached their centres late due to a Congress rally in Bengaluru. As many as three candidates are reported to have even missed their exam because of the rally, which led to a road blockade.

NEET-UG was conducted across over 5,000 centres for over 22 lakh students on June 21 (Sunday). The re-test was conducted after the initial exam on May 3 was invalidated due to a paper leak.

The NTA was extra strict and alarmed before the examination. The students were given sharp instructions to reach their respective centres at least half an hour before the examination, i.e., by 1:30 PM.

Three students, who arrived late, were not allowed to appear for the test as the gates were closed. One of the aspirants was seen crying in front of the gate of the centre.

Parents blame Congress for miss

The angry parents blamed the Congress party for the delay. One of the parents told news agency IANS, "Everyone across India knows that today, on the 21st, the NEET re-examination is being conducted. Yet the Congress has organised a rally here at the Palace Grounds. The roads have been blocked here for the last three hours, so how will the students reach the examination centres? They are stuck in traffic jams..."

ALSO READ: Bihar's 'Solver Gang' Hacks NEET Biometric Devices: Fake Candidates Cleared Security Checks To Write Exam; 30 Arrested

Another parent slammed Rahul Gandhi for holding a rally in support of students in Kota while Congress's rally allegedly became disruptive in Bengaluru. He said, "Rahul Gandhi, DK Shivakumar, and even the Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru, do not seem to be concerned. Rahul Gandhi went to Kota for the cause of students, right? But because of his party's function today, four students missed their examination."

Congress rejects charges, BJP calls Rahul's Kota rally theatrics 

Congress leaders refused the allegations of delays due to their rally. Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge said three people did not appear for NEET because of different issues like reaching with the old admit card, picking wrong bus, etc.

"Bangalore always has a huge mobility problem. That is a known fact. That is why we had issued a traffic advisory. You should blame us if we had not issued a traffic advisory or if we had been lazing around. We have issued a traffic advisory, and there is a dedicated helpline, and thousands of people have written the exam. Yes, even one person missing out is a bad thing. It's unfortunate. But how can I be held responsible for a student who has not taken the right hall ticket? Can I be held responsible for one of the students who did not take the right bus from Magadi? Whatever it is, we are sympathetic. But if you want to play politics, we are ready for that also," he said.

ALSO READ: NEET UG Re-Exam: Hyderabad Student Arrested For Hiding Phone Inside Toilet Flush Tank To Cheat; Here's How He Was Caught

The incident has triggered a major political backlash as the BJP has accused the ruling Congress of prioritising politics over students.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP and spokesperson, Sudhanshu Trivedi, said, "The news which has come in the media is quite disturbing and disheartening, as several students were denied the opportunity to appear for the NEET examination in Bengaluru because of a rally by Karnataka Congress President BK Hariprasad. On the one hand, Rahul Gandhi was doing theatrics and diversity tactics just 72 hours before the examination in Kota. On the other hand, his own government was not even ready to shift the timing of the rally by even a few hours or minutes to ensure that none of the NEET examination participants faced any problem. This shows that for the Congress Party, politics is above all, and so-called concern for students is far lower in their priority."


Also In News