New Delhi: Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday cited student-led movements in Bangladesh and Nepal and urged India’s Gen Z to press for accountability in the NEET paper leak matter.
“If Gen Z in nations like Bangladesh and Nepal could transform the government, then Indian youth could also secure accountability in incidents of paper leaks,” Kejriwal stated while speaking at a press briefing.
Targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government over repeated paper leaks, the Aam Aadmi Party national convenor remarked, “Since the Modi government assumed power in 2014, there have been 93 occurrences of exam paper leaks. A large share of these leaks took place under BJP governments. This has impacted 6 crore young people. Most paper leak cases occurred in BJP-governed states such as Rajasthan, UP, Uttarakhand and Gujarat. It is not merely a coincidence that BJP governments are in these states.
He additionally questioned the effectiveness of the Central Bureau of Investigation in probing the leaks. “The CBI has not managed to achieve anything in earlier paper leak investigations,” Kejriwal claimed. Such developments had weakened the confidence of students preparing for competitive examinations, he further said. The CBI has detained five individuals in relation to the NEET paper leak case so far and carried out searches across several places, NDTV reported.
“We are receiving information that the epicentre of the recent NEET paper leak is Rajasthan. It raises suspicion – are their leaders involved? If that is the case, then what can CBI accomplish? I want to ask the Gen-Z: Should this be allowed to continue?” Kejriwal questioned.
Referring to the collapse of the K. P. Sharma Oli government in Nepal and the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh, Kejriwal asked, “If the Gen-Z of Nepal and Bangladesh can step onto the streets and change their governments, then can’t our Gen-Z send ministers linked to paper leak incidents to jail? I have complete faith in you.”
He urged students to come out on the streets in protest and ensure those responsible are sent to jail.
Former Delhi education minister Atishi later clarified that Kejriwal’s appeal to students was restricted to peaceful demonstrations, and not the violent uprisings witnessed in Nepal and Bangladesh.
“I don’t think there is any question about advocating violence. I think that the Aam Aadmi Party, and before that India Against Corruption, has consistently stood for peaceful protest,” Atishi told NDTV.
She also highlighted that while students appearing for these examinations faced strict regulations, there appeared to be no accountability standards for those responsible for conducting the exams.
“The number of regulations that apply to students taking these exams, the type of clothes you may wear, the kind of water bottle you may carry, the kind of pens you may bring, all the rules seem to apply to these aspirants, while no rules seem to exist for those administering the exams,” she stated.