West Bengal Assembly Passes TMC Resolution Against NEET, Condemns NTA's 'Failure'

On Wednesday (24 July), the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has introduced a resolution in the West Bengal Assembly condemning the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and advocating for the reinstatement of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) in the state.

The motion stated: “This House, while strongly condemning the failure of National Testing Agency (NTA) to conduct undergraduate and postgraduate examinations fairly and freely, urges the Government of West Bengal to conduct the JEE for ensuring a robust public healthcare system across the state, particularly in far-fledged rural areas, in public interest.”

“The NEET for undergraduate courses is brd on the CBSE syllabus and not the syllabus of any state board… The majority of students aspiring for medical and AYUSH seats for undergraduate courses in West Bengal are students appearing in Uchha Madhyamik Examinations under the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Examination,” the resolution added.

In the assembly, state Education Minister Bratya Basu remarked, “In this whole episode, the only person who has not commented is our Prime Minister. What we are saying about the NEET scam is just the tip of the iceberg.”

The resolution was presented by TMC MLAs Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, Firhad Hakim, Aroop Biswas, Shashi Panja, Chandrima Bhattacharya, Nirmal Ghosh, and Ashok Kumar Deb.

Opposition BJP MLAs criticised the TMC's position, referencing the school jobs scam that had recently impacted the state.

BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh stated, “We had seen more than Rs 50 crore recovered from under the bed of Partha Chatterjee and his friend Arpita Mukherjee. They are now talking about another scam. They have no right to say all these things.”

Ghosh further pointed out, “The Supreme Court refused to cancel the NET-UGC 2024, saying there is no material to prove systemic breach. After such an observation, how can our assembly move such a motion?”