Bharatiya Janata Party National Spokesperson and Rajysabha MP Dr. Sudhanshu Trivedi and National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla jointly addressed a press conference at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi on Thursday. During the press conference, Dr. Sudhanshu Trivedi sharply criticized Rahul Gandhi for spreading falsehoods in the name of guarantees and politicizing sensitive issues like the NEET exam. Shehzad Poonawalla presented facts revealing RJD’s involvement in the NEET controversy and posed questions to Rahul Gandhi and the Congress for spreading lies.
Dr. Sudhanshu Trivedi commented on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s press conference, noting that it raises doubts about Congress’s seriousness and understanding. It was Rahul Gandhi’s first press conference after the elections, and many expected him to address the guarantee cards he had presented, especially now that Congress governs several states. Congress should remember they are no longer in the opposition and should act on their promises. Thousands of mothers and sisters who were deceived by these guarantee cards were hoping for some compassion from Congress. However, instead of reducing fuel prices in their states, Congress raised them in Karnataka and spent crores on consulting firms to spread the illusion of these so-called guarantee cards.
Dr. Trivedi stated that parties in the INDI alliance-governed states should take responsibility and provide information about government schemes. Instead, Congress and the INDI alliance politicized the sensitive issue of the NEET exam, despite the government’s vigilance. The NDA government at the center is committed to the future of millions of students and will take strict action against those found guilty in this matter. This issue is currently under consideration by the Supreme Court, and understanding its constitutional responsibilities, the NDA government is committed to taking effective action as per the court’s directives.
Dr. Sudhanshu Trivedi stated that Rahul Gandhi, as an opposition leader, appears to have no concern for the future of millions of students and is only interested in politicizing issues. Criticizing Rahul Gandhi for attempting to present himself as a representative of meritorious students despite failing to secure even 100 seats in three attempts. While the matter is under the Supreme Court’s consideration, Gandhi is trying to overrule the court’s wisdom with his own. Rahul Gandhi remained silent on the dozen paper leak incidents in Rajasthan under Congress rule, where the then Chief Minister made objectionable remarks. Shri Trivedi found it unfortunate that Gandhi did not comment on such insensitive statements. He urged Congress to fulfill its promises in states where it holds power and not attempt to position itself above the court in ongoing cases.
Shri Shehzaad Poonawalla highlighted that during the UPA’s governance, the incident of paper leak was heard for the first time. CA and B.Ed examination papers had been leaked. In 2006, the AIIMS exam paper was leaked for the first time, followed by the law paper leak in 2009 and the AIEEE paper leak in 2011. This became a recurring issue across various streams each year. Following such incidents, after 2014, India transitioned into a system where multiple agencies conducted various exams and an effort was made to streamline the organization of the exams to ensure accountability. Last year, 1 crore 30 lakh students appeared for different examinations and this year, around 80 lakh students appeared in various exams.
Poonawalla noted that through the government’s numerous sincere efforts, access to examinations has significantly increased. Rural centres and centres in and semi-urban regions have been established, ensuring that even students in villages can appear for exams. For the first time, exams are being conducted in 13 languages, eliminating the limitation to just one or two languages and allowing students who speak other languages to participate as well.
Poonawalla stated that today, students feel much more satisfied because the examination process has become democratized and more accessible. Womens’ participation in exams has increased by 26%. The syllabus has been streamlined to make exams easier, reducing the necessity for coaching classes, so that even those who cannot afford coaching can participate. The examination system, once limited to a very small number of people, has now been expanded, with sincere efforts made to democratize it. If any irregularity is detected in the process of any examination, the government takes immediate notice and initiates appropriate action. Yesterday, due to concerns about irregularities in the NET examination, the government cancelled the examination and handed over the investigation to the CBI, regarding the same.
BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla pointed out that as systems continue to evolve, Rahul Gandhi tends to exploit important issues like education and accountability for political gains. Rahul Gandhi has become a symbol that age alone does not necessarily bring wisdom. After failing in elections for the third time, Rahul Gandhi is now disparaging youths from Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Gandhi mentioned that Gujarat and MP are the epicenters of paper leak incidents. If there are any shortcomings of any kind regarding examination as per Rahul’s understanding, he can address them, but due to his mental opposition to Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji, Rahul Gandhi severely criticizes the youth of MP and Gujarat.
Shehzad Poonawalla emphasized that the origin of incidents of paper leaks has been the Congress government in Rajasthan led by Ashok Gehlot. During the Congress administration in Rajasthan, there were 20 instances of paper leaks and Rahul Gandhi, who was part of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, was present during all these incidents. The mastermind behind the paper leaks in Rajasthan, Suresh Dhaka, received protection from the Congress. Priyanka Gandhi is also keen on spreading falsehoods. On June 10th, Priyanka Gandhi tweeted a video featuring Ayushi Patel, who alleged that her OMR sheet was torn and she faced injustice. The video was manufactured and it was disseminated by the Congress party and its ecosystem. Yesterday, the High Court dismissed Ayushi Patel’s petition, declaring her claims as false and the documents submitted in court as fraudulent. Furthermore, it was also mentioned that independent investigative agencies are free to take action against those responsible for spreading this lie.
Shehzad Poonawalla stated that as soon as the newspapers started revealing that the NEET irregularities in Bihar involved the RJD, it became clear that there was a strategic conspiracy by RJD. They aimed to divert attention and blame the central government and agencies. Today, it was revealed that Tejaswi Yadav, RJD leader and former Deputy CM’s secretary Pritam relative Sikandar Yadavendu, who was a junior engineer in the water resources department a few years ago, was given charge of major cities, including Patna, in the urban development department as soon as the RJD came to power. The party, notorious for the fodder scam, is now being involved in exam paper theft by strategically placing their people in various positions. Tejaswi Yadav’s PA, Pritam, booked a guest house room for Sikandar, who then accommodated others involved in the NEET irregularities through Pritam. One of the beneficiaries of the leaked paper was a relative of these individuals, and all these details are recorded in the FIR.
Shehzad Poonawalla stated that when an issue is linked to RJD’s corrupt practices, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra try to divert attention and create suspicion by spreading falsehoods and misleading the country. Questioning why Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has neither deleted nor apologized for retweeting Ayushi Patel’s tweet, suggesting it was done to mislead students and hide RJD’s involvement. Rahul Gandhi recently tweeted a report claiming EVMs could be hacked with OTPs, which created distrust against the Election Commission and the electoral process. Rahul and Priyanka are consistently spreading lies and politicizing every issue to divert attention.