Members of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) on Monday expressed grave concern in the Rajya Sabha over the issue of different question papers being given to students attempting the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) in regional languages in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Derek O'Brien of the TMC said that until 2013, the English question paper for common medical entrance used to be translated into regional languages. But this year, those attempting NEET in Bengali or Tamil got question papers that were entirely different, he said, adding that 40,000 of the 56,000 students who wrote the exam in Bengali or Tamil had "disastrous" results.
also raised the issue of a report that NCERT wanted Rabindranath Tagore out of school textbooks. The HRD Ministry has a lot to explain on the issue, he said. "NEET exam is not a West Bengal issue. It is a federal issue," he said. He was joined by AIADMK members who demanded to scrap the applicability of NEET to Tamil Nadu. A Navaneethakrishnan (AIADMK) said a uniform NEET syllabus should be introduced first.
Both TMC and AIADMK members rushed into the Well of the House raising anti-NEET slogans. Reacting to the issue, Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda said the issue was under examination of the government. "We are looking into the matter," he said. Members then returned to their places and the House resumed normal functioning thereafter.
