Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday said the government is ready for discussion on the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) exam issue, but it should happen within tradition and decorum.

However, the Opposition is adamant on its demand to enforce a discussion on the alleged irregularities in the NEET examination in Parliament.

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No business was conducted in the Lok Sabha with the Opposition holding strong on its demand for a discussion on NEET.

Talking to reporters outside the Parliament after the Lok Sabha was adjourned till July 1 amidst Opposition members seeking the acceptance of an adjournment motion to suspend all business and discuss matters related to NEET, Pradhan said, “The government is ready for every kind of discussion, but everything should happen within tradition and decorum.”

The minister appealed to the Opposition that they should not confuse the students on the matter.

“When the President herself spoke about the exam in her speech yesterday, it showed the government’s intention that we are ready to face any issue… The government’s responsibility is towards the youth of the country, towards the students of the country… The government is ready to put forth its side, then what is the confusion? … We are going to take the strictest action and the CBI is going to catch everyone, we will not spare anyone,” he said.

He further said a credible high-level committee has also been formed for reform, soon the date of all those exams will also be announced.

“I also request the opposition to come out of politics and join the discussion,” Pradhan said.

“We are not going to spare anyone. Those who were in charge of NTA have been removed and the responsibility has been given to senior officials. All this is proof of the government’s commitment… I want to appeal to the opposition that they should not confuse the students…” he added.

Notably, for the NEET-UG and UGC-NET exams, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on June 23 registered a criminal case over the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the examination by the NTA and formed special teams to probe the matter.

As per the agency’s FIR, certain “isolated incidents” occurred in a few states during the conduct of the NEET (UG) 2024 examination, which was held on May 5, 2024.

The NEET (UG) 2024 Examination was conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on May 5, 2024, at 4,750 centres in 571 cities, including 14 cities abroad, with over 23 lakh candidates appearing for the examination.

An unprecedented 67 candidates achieved a perfect score of 720 marks out of 720, which led to widespread protests in the country.

The Ministry of Education said it has constituted a high-level committee of experts to make recommendations on reforms in the mechanism of the examination process, improvements in data security protocols, and the functioning of the NTA