Jalandhar:- Former Union Minister and former state president of Bharatiya Janata Party Punjab Vijay Sampla on Wednesday accused Congress of politicizing the NEET issue and said that a constructive discussion on this issue should have taken place in Parliament, but instead of finding a solution, Congress made it a political issue. Addressing a press conference, Sampla said that the BJP-led central government is fully committed to protecting the interests of students and taking strict action against those responsible for the irregularities in the exams.
Sampla said that peaceful protests are a democratic right, but the opposition parties worked to incite students for political gains. He said that the central government was fully prepared to discuss the issue in Parliament, but the Congress chose to protest on the streets instead of discussing it in Parliament, so that it could avoid questions about the paper leaks and exam scams that took place during its rule and in the states ruled by its allies.
Referring to the work done by the Modi government in the education sector, Sampla said that the education budget has increased significantly in the past years and institutions like IITs and AIIMS have been expanded on a large scale. He said that in the NEET case, the central government immediately registered an FIR, handed over the investigation to the CBI, re-conducted the exam wherever necessary and ensured action against the culprits in fast track courts.
Targeting the Aam Aadmi Party, Sampla questioned its silence on the alleged exam scams related to the Punjab Public Service Commission, Punjab School Education Board and Baba Farid University. He alleged that the Punjab government is adopting double standards. On one hand, she criticizes police action in other places, while on the other hand, she remains silent about the recent lathicharge on sanitation workers in Barnala.
Appealing to the Congress to stop politicizing student issues, Sampla said that the Modi government is committed to transparency, accountability and bringing every culprit to justice and will continue to take every necessary step to protect the future of the country's youth.