West Bengal Assembly Passes Resolution Against NEET; TMC Urges For JEE To Be Reinstated

The step came a few days after the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu cabinet decided to bring a resolution in the assembly against NEET. The West Bengal Assembly on Wednesday, July 24, lashed out at the NTA over its inability to conduct free and fair entrance tests.

Kolkata:After Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, the West Bengal Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, July 24 passed a resolution to scrap NEET and demanded that the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) be reinstated in the state.

The ruling party in the state, while moving a motion through voice vote said, “This House, while strongly condemning the failure of National Testing Agency (NTA) to conduct undergraduate and postgraduate examinations fairly and freely, urges the Government of West Bengal to conduct the JEE for ensuring a robust public healthcare system across the state, particularly in far-fledged rural areas, in public interest.”

The resolution tabled by State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay on Tuesday, July 23 came down heavily upon the National Testing Agency (NTA), for failing to conduct a 'free and fair entrance test' for the medical science examinees.

It further said, "Previously for the state quota of undergraduate and postgraduate seats in medical colleges in West Bengal, JEE was conducted by the Joint Entrance Board, which has since been abolished due to the NEET coming into force.

"The NEET for undergraduate courses is based on the CBSE syllabus and not the syllabus of any state board… The majority of students aspiring for medical and AYUSH seats for undergraduate courses in West Bengal are students appearing in Uchha Madhyamik Examinations under the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Examination,” it added.

State Education Minister Bratya Basu said that he got to know from the media that question papers were leaked for Rs 30-40 lakh. "The future of 24 lakh children in the country is being ruined. Leave this test to us. We can conduct it in a transparent manner," he added.

Reaction Of The Opposition:Opposition BJP MLAs left no stone unturned in taking a dig at the TMC and alleged the party of being “in no ethical position” to move the resolution. Elucidating its take, the saffron party referred to the school jobs scam, in which dozens of TMC leaders had been earlier arrested.

After the original motion was tabled in the Assembly on Tuesday, July 23, BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh reminded the TMC about more than Rs 50 crore being recovered from under the bed of Partha Chatterjee and his kin Arpita Mukherjee, thereby accusing the party of being corrupt.

He added, “The Supreme Court refused to cancel the NET-UGC 2024, saying there is no material to prove systemic breach. After such an observation, how can our assembly move such a motion?”

MLAs from the opposition BJP and the ruling TMC engaged in a serious debate earlier in the day in the State Assembly, where they called for a discussion on the claims of assault and abuse of women in the region.

The motion was permitted to be read aloud by Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay, but he rejected the request for a discussion. Following that, BJP members demonstrated and staged a walkout from the Assembly.