Listen to student voices, act as per their wishes: Sonia to govt on NEET, JEE

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday urged the government to listen to the voices of students on the issue of conducting NEET and JEE and act according to their wishes.

Various opposition parties, including the Congress, have demanded that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) be deferred due to the Covid-19 pandemic and floods in parts of the country, even as the Union government has made it clear that they will be held as per schedule with due precautions.

Six ministers of opposition-ruled states on Friday also moved the Supreme Court seeking review of its order permitting the Centre to conduct NEET and JEE this year amid the persisting pandemic.

As part of the Congress' day-long campaign of holding protests and voicing opposition on social media to holding of the entrance examinations, the party posted Sonia Gandhi's message to students and the government on the issue of conducting the exams.

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"I feel for you because you are now facing a very difficult situation. The issue of your exams, of when they should be taken up is the most important issue, not only for you but for your family," Sonia Gandhi said in a video addressing students.

"You are our future. We depend on you to build a better India," she said.

Therefore, if any decision has to be taken regarding students' future, it is important that it is "being taken with your concurrence", the Congress leader said

"I hope the government listens to you, listens to your voices and acts upon your wishes. This is my advice to the government," she said in the nearly minute-long video posted on the Congress' Twitter handle with the hashtag 'Speak Up For Student Safety'.

While the NEET is slated to be held on September 13, engineering entrance exam JEE-Main is scheduled between September 1-6.