The Telangana Congress has thrown its weight behind protesting students and staged state-wide demonstrations on Friday demanding the postponement of Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Mains and the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) scheduled to be held from September 1-6 and September 13, respectively.
State Congress chief Uttam Kumar Reddy slammed the BJP government’s “ill-advised and arrogant decision to conduct exams”, accusing the Narendra Modi government of jeopardising the lives of lakhs of students. He shared the podium with Telangana NSUI president Venkat Balmoor who continued his second day of hunger strike outside the Raj Bhavan.
The Congress also questioned Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s silence over the issue and accused him of turning a deaf ear to the concerns raised by students. “Seven opposition chief ministers have raised their voice but KCR is acting as BJP CM and supporting all decisions made by PM Modi. They are playing with the lives of students,” said Telangana Congress leader Gudur Narayana Reddy.
While the matter has sparked a massive political slugfest in the state, nearly 68,000 students have reportedly registered for JEE Mains while more than 55,000 students have downloaded their NEET admit cards. According to the state education department, Telangana has over 27 centres for JEE Mains and 112 exam halls for NEET.
Thousands of NEET and JEE aspirants from the state have taken to social media to express their fear of stepping out and contracting the virus. Apart from the safety angle, non-local candidates from Andhra Pradesh who have their exam centres in Hyderabad cite lack of public transport as a major impediment. Bus services between both the states have been stalled due to coronavirus-related restrictions.
While the ruling KCR government continues to reserve its views on the matter, the Centre has argued that over 17 lakh students have already downloaded their admit cards for medical and engineering entrance exams. Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal on Wednesday assured that adequate measures are in place to ensure the safety of students.
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