Congress Member of Parliament and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting for a parliamentary debate on the NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) issue tomorrow.
"I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to request for a debate in Parliament on NEET. As you are aware, the Opposition's request for a debate on this issue was denied in both Houses of Parliament on June 28m. Yesterday, the Opposition had requested for a discussion on this issue again. The honourable Speaker of the Lok Sabha had given assurance to the opposition that he would discuss the matter with the government," Rahul Gandhi stated in his letter.
"Our aim is to engage constructively to find a way forward. At this moment, our only concern is the welfare of nearly 24 lakh NEET aspirants across India. Lakhs of families have made tremendous personal sacrifices to support their children. For many, the paper leak is a betrayal of a lifetime dream. Today these students and their families are looking up to us, their public representatives to take bold and decisive steps to resolve the issue. The NEET examination deserves immediate attention because it has exposed the deep rot in our higher education system. The past seven years have seen over 70 paper leaks, affecting over 2 crore students. The government's move to postpone other examinations and replace the Director General of the National Testing Agency is a move to cover up the systemic breakdown of our centralised testing system," he wrote.
"Our students deserve answers. A parliamentary debate is the first step towards rebuilding and restoring their faith. Given the urgency of the matter, I request the government to facilitate a debate in the House tomorrow. I believe that it would be fitting if you were to lead this debate in the interest of the students," LoP concluded.