Reiterating its demand for a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the alleged scam in the 2024 NEET-UG exam, Congress said on Friday that the Narendra Modi-led NDA Government cannot run away from accountability as the future of 24 lakh students is in jeopardy.

Notably, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday dismissed the allegation and said there was no paper leak in the NEET-UG exam.

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Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, Congress’ Chairman of the Media and Publicity Department Pawan Khera said, “The Modi Government wants to ‘whitewash’ the NEET scam. It cannot run away from accountability. The future of 24 lakh students is in jeopardy.”

Noting that the NEET exam is supposed to create lakhs of doctors in the country, he said, “Does the BJP want to have sub-par, non-meritorious, mediocre doctors, dangerously engaged in medical practice, playing with the lives of millions of our citizens? After all, these so-called future doctors would be made on a system where paper leaks, grace marks, irregularities, coaching-organised gang corruption, are rampant.”

“Prime Minister Modi cannot always remain a mute spectator. Why is he silent when the future of 24 lakh youngsters is at stake,” Khera asked.

He also posed a volley of questions to the education minister over the matter. “Is it not a fact that this year there were 67 toppers who were given a perfect score of 720? Is it not true that multiple NEET-UG 2024 toppers belong to the same state and have similar roll numbers? Were they from the same examination centers?”

He further said, “Only a SC-monitored forensic probe is a solution to safeguard the future of lakhs of young students. The Modi Government should make itself accountable to the nation.”

On Thursday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the government cannot shirk its accountability in the matter. “The Modi Government cannot shirk its accountability by placing the responsibility of its actions on the shoulders of NTA (National Testing Agency). The Congress party demands an impartial investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court into the entire NEET scam,” he said.