Congress slams CM KCR's silence over NEET-JEE exams

Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Treasurer Gudur Narayana Reddy has strongly condemned Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao for his silence over conduct of Joint Entrance Examinations (JEE) and National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) amid Coronavirus pandemic.

Narayana Reddy said that as many as 67,319 students from Telangana have registered for JEE while 55,800 have registered for NEET exams. "As many as seven non-BJP Chief Ministers have opposed the conduct of JEE and NEET in view of rising cases of Coronavirus. However, CM KCR is acting as a BJP CM and not raising his voice to demand postponement exams," he said in a media statement on Thursday.

The Congress leader said that the Chief Minister was not concerned about the health and safety of students who are being forced to write the JEE and NEET exams. He said conducting any examinations at this juncture would be like playing with the lives of students, their parents and neighbours. He pointed out that more than one lakh students in the United States got infected with Covid-19 within two weeks after re-opening of schools. "An examination is not just a three-hour affair. It involves travelling, assembling and other activities. Social distancing can be maintained in the examination hall, but the guidelines could not be monitored properly at all stages. Minor negligence on the part of any one including students, parents, invigilators or the authorities could prove fatal," he said.

Further, Narayana Reddy said that in Telangana State, the JEE Main will be organised at 27 centres and NEET in 112 centres. He pointed out the public transport services including Metro Rail and RTC buses were not yet operational. Therefore, all candidates would be forced to arrange private transport to reach their examination centres and then return home. Therefore, conducting exams in the current situation was not ideal, he said.

The Congress leader said that it was highly regrettable that the Chief Minister did not hold a single review meeting to discuss the JEE and NEET which involves nearly 1.25 lakh students and their parents. "KCR is literally acting as the BJP CM and implementing all decisions of the Modi Government without any objection. He should join other non-BJP CMs in opposing the exams and approach the Supreme Court seeking postponement of JEE-NEET," he demanded.