Centre should treat NEET paper leak as national issue: Shivakumar backs CJP protest
Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday backed the nationwide protests over the NEET paper leak, saying the issue concerned the future of the country’s
Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday backed the nationwide protests over the NEET paper leak, saying the issue concerned the future of the country’s youth and required accountability for repeated examination irregularities. He also called for a discussion in Parliament and questioned the use of force against protesting students in Delhi and elsewhere. Addressing reporters in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said every citizen was concerned about children’s future and that students had every democratic right to protest against examination malpractices. He urged the Centre to accept responsibility and said the controversy was a national issue, not a political one.
Read Full Story Shivakumar, who had participated in the NEET protest in Delhi along with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, said, "Our children are our future. Question papers have reportedly been leaked on more than 100 occasions. If we fail to maintain quality, if question paper leaks continue to happen like this, and if nobody takes responsibility for them, then who should be held accountable?" He said India was recognised globally as a talent hub and warned that repeated examination leaks could damage the country’s reputation. "The youth of the entire country, and indeed the whole world, are thinking about the future of India’s young people because India is a talent hub.
Everyone acknowledges that the kind of talent we possess cannot be found anywhere else in the world," he said. Questioning the police action against protesters, Shivakumar said everyone had the right to protest in a democracy. Referring to the violence during the protest, he said he was not justifying any act of violence but insisted that legal action should be taken in accordance with the law. Calling the controversy a national issue rather than a political one, Shivakumar said, "This concerns the future of the country’s youth. This is the voice of the youth.
Their future is at stake. Why are you trying to cover it up?" On the proposed Cabinet expansion in Karnataka, he said the exercise would take place soon. Overall, he said the NEET paper leak had raised serious concerns over the future of students and needed accountability as well as a wider discussion. Ends
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