Rahul Gandhi condemns cancellation of three UGC-NET exams and criticizes Modi government and NTA

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi received significant support from the Supreme Court. The court on Friday overturned a criminal defamation case that had been filed against him in connection with Virendra Sawarkar. This proceeding was initially registered in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

During the summer session of parliament, members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) directly criticized Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi. The deputies questioned her about why she did not visit Jharkhand and why she remains silent regarding the problems faced by students in that state.

These questions were raised against the backdrop of the concluding days of the summer parliamentary session, which has been marked by constant disorder in the assembly hall.

Today, Tuesday, marks the seventeenth day of this session, which began on July 20 and is scheduled to run until August 13. As only two or three days remain until the session concludes, today is considered quite significant.

Due to the continuous unrest from the opposition during the session, many days could not be fully utilized for question hour sessions, and the house was suspended multiple times. On Monday, August 10, proceedings in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were halted until 11 AM. Both houses will resume work today at 11 AM.

A weekly meeting of NDA members took place this morning. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, and other NDA members participated in the meeting. The council discussed the strategy for the final days of the session, as well as methods to ensure the proper functioning of parliament and counter opposition protests. Deputies were instructed to maintain unity and support the government in passing necessary legislation.

In Haryana, the deadlock between the government and students regarding alleged examination irregularities continues. The third round of negotiations also yielded no results. The government claims to have addressed about 98% of the students' demands, but the demand for an CBI investigation into the JSSC-CGL exam cannot be accepted. On the other hand, students insist that protests will not cease until this demand is met, and they are preparing to take to the streets.

The question arises as to why the entire dispute needs to be prolonged over one demand when most issues can be resolved through dialogue between the government and the students? Students believe that the intervention of a central agency is necessary to ensure an impartial and reliable investigation into the issues raised regarding the examination process. They argue, 'Is it bad to remove doubts from the minds of the students?'

The government should realize that the recommendation for an investigation does not imply an admission of guilt. Accepting the demand for a CBI investigation does not mean the government is found guilty. If the government states complete transparency in the examination process, this statement will become even more weighty after an impartial investigation. Then everything will become clear.

Hemant Soren's government in Ranchi appears to be repeating the same mistake recently made by the central government concerning students protesting at Jantar Mantar. When a protest is dragged out, the issue between the government and the demonstrators gradually transforms from a matter of demands into a matter of prestige. After this, the government starts to believe that if it meets one demand, it will be perceived as weakness. It is this mindset that makes any protest unnecessarily protracted.

In the case of students, such a stance is even more detrimental. Issues of employment and competitive exams are linked to the future of the youth. If there is suspicion of irregularity in any exam, it affects not only that exam. The time, money, and careers of thousands of young people are at stake. In such a situation, the government's primary task must be to assure students that their complaints are being treated with utmost seriousness.

The government has taken several positive steps. These include the recommendation for an investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into alleged financial irregularities in JPSC, the announcement of the creation of an accelerated court for examination matters, and the promise to file a charge sheet within 90 days, as well as the decision to involve experts from IIT-ISM Dhanbad, IIM Ranchi, and XLRI Jamshedpur to improve the examination system in the JSSC-CGL case under the chairmanship of a former Supreme Court judge. However, despite all these steps, if the students' biggest doubt is not eliminated, the government must reconsider its position.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren's statement that problems will be solved through dialogue, not force, is in the right direction. But dialogue is not just holding meetings. Dialogue also means that the government understands the main concern of the opponent and seeks a way to resolve it.