The subsequent cancellation of UGC-NET 2024 examination a day after it was conducted, right when questions were raised upon the NEET 2024 results and its paper leak, meant that the opposition was all guns blazing on BJP and Narendra Modi today.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, addressing the media, said, “In the 2nd leg of my Bharat Jodo Yatra from Manipur to Maharashtra, students consistently complained to me about the endemic of paper leaks.”

“They (students) study, they work hard, and honest students suffer. Students who want to cheat, benefit. And this would repeat again and again and again,” he said.

Gandhi also attacked BJP’s campaigning before the general elections 2024, where one of the BJP ads reportedly claimed that Ukraine-Russia war was halted to rescue Indian students.

“With one order, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stopped the Ukraine-Russia war, the Israel-Gaza war, but for some reason, he was not able to — or willing to — stop the paper leaks,” he said.

The Congress leader also stated an example of the infamous Vyapam scam, saying, “What you are seeing here is the idea of Vyapam expanding across the nation. UP has suffered from it, MP and Gujarat have been a centre to it, and now it is damaging the whole country.”

Gandhi said that this was happening because all the institutions have been ‘penetrated’, and the vice chancellors are from a ‘particular organisation’. 

“What was done by PM Modi to the economy with demonetization, is now being done to education,” said Rahul Gandhi.

Lastly, he addressed the youth, saying, “Youngsters, I want you to know this is happening because an independent and objective education system has been demolished and has been captured by BJP and their parent organisation.

“Until this capture is released, people will suffer, exams will cancel again and again. One (NET-UGC) has already been cancelled. We don’t know about NEET.

“All we demand is that it should not be done in an arbitrary manner. The rules should apply to each exam equally,” Gandhi said.

He concluded with a demand for action against the guilty, saying, “It’s very important that the guilty here are brought to book and punished.”

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