NEET-JEE row: Subramanian Swamy won't take his 'last chance'; reasons why as CMs move SC

Senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Dr Subramanian Swamy on Saturday said if Chief Ministers seeking postponement of JEE and NEET exams had "not intervened", he would have tried to meet PM Modi and take "one last chance", adding that he cannot do so now. He said that it is now the Chief Ministers and the Supreme Court's responsibility to take it to its "logical end" Swamy also said that 'Monday is crucial', seeing as the JEE exam is set to begin from Tuesday. 

'If CMs had not intervened'

Taking to Twitter, the Rajya Sabha MP advised the CMs by saying, "What they can do is to use the Disaster Management Act and say that the State cannot jeopardise the Coronavirus situation by having a mass exodus to examination centres of students and parents. It is risk-prone. According to estimates, 8% of them can get infected by the virus."

Earlier, he had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as the Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal to conduct the entrance examinations of NEET, JEE and other competitive exams after Diwali, in the wake of novel Coronavirus pandemic.

Opposition-ruled states moves the Supreme Court

The Congress, TMC, JMM and Shiv Sena on Friday said non-NDA leaders had moved the Supreme Court seeking postponement of NEET and JEE keeping in view the health and safety of students amid rising COVID-19 cases. Ministers of six opposition-ruled states moved the court seeking review of its order permitting the Centre to conduct the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) this year amid the persisting Coronavirus pandemic.

The review plea was filed on Friday in the backdrop of the Supreme Court on August 17 refusing to interfere with the conduct of medical and engineering entrance exams scheduled to take place in September saying that life must go on and students can't lose a precious year due to the pandemic.

On August 17 the top court had dismissed a plea by one Sayantan Biswas and others seeking direction to National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts both the NEET and JEE exams, to postpone them after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured that all safeguards would be taken. While JEE is from September 1 to 6, NEET begins from September 13. The petition follows a meeting of Chief Ministers of seven states. It was convened virtually by Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday.

READ | Subramanian Swamy urges Centre to postpone NEET & JEE exams; cites 'other Test courses'

'Students want the exams to be held'

 Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal on Thursday said that over 17 lakh candidates have already downloaded their admit cards for JEE and NEET, and this shows that the students want the exams to be conducted at any cost.

READ | 'I feel like Vidura': Subramanian Swamy draws Mahabharat reference to JEE, NEET exams

"National Testing Agency (NTA) officials told me that over seven lakh candidates have downloaded the JEE-Main admit cards while over 10 lakh aspirants have downloaded the NEET admit cards. This shows that the students want the exams to be held at any cost," Pokhriyal said.

READ | Holding NEET-JEE now favours rich kids; poor haven't had access: Subramanian Swamy

"We have received emails from students and parents who are in favour of holding the exams, as they have been preparing for the exams for at least two to three years. The Supreme Court too opined that a full academic year cannot be wasted. After two deferments, the exam dates have been finalised," he added.

READ | On holding NEET & JEE now, Subramanian Swamy fires dire warning; calls it 'giant mistake'

(With agency inputs)