Nation

IIE DIGITAL: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has broken his silence on the NEET controversy, though he chose to address the issue during a closed door NDA parliamentary meeting rather than in public.

At the meeting held in Parliament on Tuesday, Modi reportedly described the alleged NEET question paper leak as a matter of national importance. He made it clear that the issue should not be linked exclusively to either the Centre or any particular state government and said that partisan politics had no place in the matter.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju later briefed the media on the Prime Minister’s remarks. According to him, Modi stressed that protecting young people and safeguarding their future remains one of the government’s biggest priorities. He also said that those responsible for the NEET paper leak would face strict punishment.

The Prime Minister’s comments came amid a growing political storm over Monday’s police action against protesters at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Several opposition MPs have already approached Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, demanding that the incident be discussed in Parliament.

The Cockroach Janata Party had organised a march towards Parliament, pressing for three demands, including the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET paper leak. The protesters reportedly reached close to the Parliament complex before being stopped by the police. The situation escalated as the authorities allegedly used batons and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators. Images and videos of the confrontation subsequently went viral on social media.

Government hospital sources reportedly said that around 170 people were injured during the clashes, with nearly 40 of them being police personnel. The protesters, on the other hand, were accused of attacking the police with bricks and stones.

The scale of Monday’s police action has also sparked debate, with sources claiming that such a large and forceful crackdown on a protest has been rarely witnessed in the national capital in recent times. However, Rijiju did not mention any specific response from Modi regarding the police operation.

Meanwhile, three representatives of the protesting group met Health Minister JP Nadda on Monday. They later claimed that the minister had heard their concerns and assured them that their demands would be considered.

The protesters, however, expressed disappointment the following morning. In a social media post, they alleged that after waiting for nearly four hours to meet the Health Minister, they were left without any clear response from the government.

Their demands include the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, ₹1 crore compensation for the families of NEET aspirants who allegedly died by suicide, and permission for Sonam Wangchuk to leave the hospital and begin a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar.