Call for approaching SC for postponement of NEET

NEW DELHI: Congress president Sonia Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rallied Chief Ministers of seven Opposition-ruled states on Wednesday as they closed ranks to focus on economic issues and spoke in unison on getting swift Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation and approaching the Supreme Court to push for a delay of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).

The virtual meeting, which was telecast live on Wednesday afternoon, was attended by Mamata Banerjee, Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, apart from four chief ministers of Congress-ruled states, including Captain Amarinder Singh of Punjab, Bhupesh Baghel of Chhattisgarh, Ashok Gehlot of Rajasthan, and V Narayanasamy of Puducherry.

The development gains significance as all of them highlighted the need for a common platform for regular interaction on issues and strengthening the voice of the Opposition.

The Bengal Chief Minister said state governments were being "bulldozed" by the Centre in the name of cooperative federalism. "Let us go to the Supreme Court. Let us talk about this matter. This is a mental agony for students. I have not seen so many atrocities in a democracy. The situation is very serious. We have to speak up for the children," Banerjee said.

The Chief Ministers discussed that since the exams start in a week, the next move would have to be fast.

The JEE is scheduled from September 1 to 6 and the NEET exam is to be held on September 13. The Supreme Court had last week rejected a petition by 11 students from 11 states asking for the exams to be deferred, saying: "Life cannot be stopped... Are students ready to waste one whole year?"

Soren made an impassioned case for not having the exams now. He said both his parents were Coronavirus positive.

"Exams must happen, but we are hurrying up. In my state, we have very few centres. To accommodate these students, we will have to open all hotels and buses. Chances of contracting Covid will be higher. The Centre must help by taking more time. Otherwise, the Centre will blame states all over again if something goes wrong. We will have to jointly raise these issues," he added.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said: "We have to decide whether we want to fear or fight the government. The people who elected the BJP at the Centre also elected all of us.

But if we do something it is paap (sin) and if they do anything then it is punya (virtuous)?" He pointed out that while his state was gradually emerging from the lockdown with schools remaining shut. The Chief Ministers said they need to "together fight Centre for undermining states' rights".

Amarinder Singh said he had written to the Prime Minister three times to delay exams. "I endorse Mamata Banerjee's view that we should collectively approach the Supreme Court again," he said. Soren suggested that before going to the Supreme Court, the Chief Ministers should meet with the Prime Minister. Sonia Gandhi, fresh out of a crisis, called the meeting along with Banerjee in an attempt to evolve a united opposition response on the exams and on compensation to states who have reported a loss of revenue because of the pandemic ahead of a meeting of the GST council on Thursday.

"The refusal to compensate states on GST is nothing short of betrayal by the Modi government of states and the people," Sonia Gandhi said.

She further added that the recently announced National Education Policy was a setback to secular and scientific values. "Announcements such as those related to the National Education Policy should really worry us as it is actually a setback. Other problems of students and exams are also being dealt uncaringly," she said at the meeting.