Naveen's death is reflection of NEET's 'shameless face': Kumaraswamy

Bengaluru: Former chief minister and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy on Wednesday said he was surprised with the statement of Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi that 90 per cent of Indians who study abroad fail to pass qualifiers in India.

"Union Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister! What is the secret behind stating that you don't want to discuss the expenditure incurred for MBBS study here and Ukraine. Your statement has led to many suspicions," he said.

Joshi said in Belagavi that 90 per cent of Indians who study MBBS abroad fail to pass qualifiers in India. He further said that this is not the right time to debate why students are moving out to study medicine.

His statement came at a time when one of the Karnataka students, Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar, who was pursuing his MBBS course in Ukraine, died in shelling by the Russian forces in Kharkiv.

Kumaraswamy chided, "How many lives will be sacrificed for the anarchy created by the National Entrance and Eligibility Test (NEET)? The death of Naveen has questioned the authenticity of NEET. The medical education is confined to the rich and it really sucks blood out of the poor."

"The Union Government which boasts of being a 'Vishwa Guru' and launching a 'National Education Policy' should contemplate about this with a clean heart. It is difficult for the students of the government schools to crack NEET. Being aware of such a fact, 'tuition shops' are proliferating," he opined.

"NEET is a death warrant for the parents of students. The tragic death of Naveen, who went to pursue MBBS in Ukraine has revealed the shameful facet of NEET. It is injustice imposed upon the poor under the garb of eligibility," Kumaraswamy said.

Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda on Wednesday said he has written to the Prime Minister on the situation in Ukraine.

"We have many political parties in India. We should not give the impression that we are divided. Many Indians are there in Ukraine and the government has the responsibility to bring them back. Students from our states are also in distress and they are stuck. I have spoken to the nodal officer and no negligence should take place in this matter. The death of Naveen has increased tension among parents who have sent their children to Ukraine," he said.