Powers of states to conduct NEET must be reinstated: K’taka CM

In a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office, Siddaramaiah said the Karnataka government had consistently opposed NEET on the grounds that it disadvantaged rural and poor students, weakened the school education system and reduced the role of states in admissions.

“We had opposed NEET in 2024 itself, stating that the examination was unjust to rural and poor students, weakened the school education system and snatched away the powers of states in admissions,” Siddaramaiah said.

“The cancellation of the examination today has proved how genuine and necessary our concerns were,” he added.

The Chief Minister said the state government was insisting that powers to conduct such entrance examinations should be restored to states. “We insist that the powers of states to conduct such entrance examinations should be reinstated,” he said.

Siddaramaiah described the Centre’s decision to cancel the examination as “not merely an administrative failure, but a cruel betrayal of the country’s youth”.

According to the statement, more than 22 lakh students across the country, including over one lakh from Karnataka, had appeared for the examination after months of preparation. He said parents had also spent heavily on coaching, travel and related expenses for the examination process. “The Union government’s decision has pushed the entire student community into uncertainty and distress,” he said.

The Chief Minister also linked the NEET controversy to repeated allegations of question paper leaks in national-level examinations. “From recruitment examinations to national entrance tests, paper leak cases have become evidence of the Narendra Modi government’s failure to safeguard the interests of meritorious students,” he said.

Siddaramaiah demanded a transparent and time-bound investigation into the paper leak case and sought strict punishment for those responsible. He also asked the Centre to provide immediate clarity on the revised examination schedule.

The Chief Minister further demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, accusing him of failing to respond to concerns raised by students and parents. “He has shown no concern whatsoever for the youth and should resign immediately,” Siddaramaiah said.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Minister for School Education and Literacy Madhu Bangarappa also criticised the National Testing Agency and called for its abolition.

Speaking to reporters at Vidhana Soudha, Bangarappa questioned the functioning of the NTA and said state governments usually prepared multiple contingency plans while conducting examinations.

“I am the Education Minister. Whenever we conduct examinations, we prepare Plan A, Plan B and Plan C. What is the capability of the National Testing Agency? Due to its failure, students are under immense stress,” he said.

“The NTA should be abolished,” he added.

Bangarappa said the Centre should consult state governments on issues relating to NEET in the future. “At least in the future, the Centre should hold discussions with state governments regarding NEET,” he said.

Calling the paper leak a “great tragedy”, Bangarappa said students had spent months preparing for the examination and should not have been subjected to uncertainty because of administrative lapses. “The decision to conduct a re-examination is a bulldozing act,” he said.

He also accused the BJP-led Union government of failing to take responsibility for repeated controversies surrounding national examinations. “Since the formation of the National Testing Agency, question papers have allegedly leaked six times. The Prime Minister should take responsibility for the question paper leak,” Bangarappa said.