Now that PM has stepped in…: Digvijaya Singh hopeful of resolution to NEET crisis

Expressing hope in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's direct monitoring of the NEET re-test, Digvijaya Singh called for justice for students while renewing his attack on Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the examination controversy.

In Short

• Digvijaya Singh criticises Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan
• Calls for reassurance messages to students before June 21 re-test
• Political debate over Singh's remarks and exam credibility continues

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Monday expressed hope that the NEET crisis would be resolved now that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is personally monitoring preparations for the June 21 re-test, while arguing that such intervention itself reflected the failure of the Education Ministry's leadership.

"Now that the Prime Minister has taken charge of it himself, we believe the examination will be conducted in a secure and fair manner. If a paper leak or any such incident happens even after this, then that would be crossing all limits," Singh said after a meeting of Parliament's Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports.

The remarks came after the panel reviewed preparations for the June 21 re-examination and discussed measures to restore confidence among students and parents following the controversy surrounding the medical entrance test.

'WE DO NOT DISCUSS ON PARTY LINES'

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Singh stressed that parliamentary committees function differently from political platforms and that members were focused on finding solutions rather than scoring political points.

"In the Parliamentary Standing Committee, we do not discuss issues on party lines, nor do we express views as representatives of political parties. Beyond that, I will not say anything about what was discussed during the committee meeting," he said.

According to sources, members held an informal discussion before the meeting formally began. During the exchange, some ruling party members questioned why such meetings were being held while investigations into the NEET controversy were underway and argued that the issue was being politicised.

Sources said Singh responded that the matter concerned millions of students and parents and should not be viewed through a political prism.

'PRADHAN SHOULD HAVE RESIGNED'

When asked why the Prime Minister had to personally intervene in the matter, Singh said the move exposed shortcomings in the functioning of the Education Ministry.

"If the Prime Minister himself had to step in, it shows the incompetence of Dharmendra Pradhan. He should have resigned," Singh said.

He later sharpened the attack, saying, "Either Dharmendra Pradhan should resign, or he should be dismissed."

Despite his criticism of the Education Minister, Singh said he remained hopeful that the June 21 examination would be conducted without controversy now that the Prime Minister was directly monitoring the process.

This version keeps the peg firmly on "PM has stepped in", uses Digvijaya's actual words, and avoids the slightly awkward earlier line: "We trust our Prime Minister and we trust our system" which is now being disputed by Jairam Ramesh. The story becomes much cleaner and harder to challenge factually.

FOCUS ON LEAK-PROOF EXAMINATION

Committee members sought details from officials on the measures being adopted to make the examination secure and leak-proof.

Officials informed the panel that efforts were underway to remove vulnerabilities at every stage of the process. They said in-house paper setters, teachers and professors were being engaged to strengthen confidentiality and tighten examination safeguards.

Members stressed that a robust mechanism must be in place before the June 21 re-test to prevent any lapses that could further damage confidence in the system.

CALLS TO REASSURE STUDENTS

Restoring trust among students emerged as a key theme during the discussions.

Committee members suggested that special efforts should be made before June 21 to reassure candidates and their families. Some proposed that Prime Minister Modi or the Education Minister issue a message or an open letter to students, assuring them that the government was committed to conducting a fair and transparent examination.

The panel also recommended closer coordination between the Ministries of Education and Health to ensure the smooth conduct of the re-test.

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

Beyond immediate preparations for the re-examination, members urged authorities to begin work on next year's NEET cycle without delay.

Suggestions included promoting computer-based testing initiatives, encouraging CBT hackathons and supporting startups working in examination and assessment technology to strengthen future testing systems.

CONGRESS CLARIFIES DIGVIJAYA'S REMARKS

The discussion later triggered a political debate after Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh pushed back against reports suggesting that Digvijaya Singh had given a clean chit to Prime Minister Modi or the government's education system.

"The Standing Committee on Education has given no clean chit to the Prime Minister or his 'system' and Shri Digvijaya Singh did not express his confidence in them," Ramesh said in a social media post.

He argued that Singh's comments had been taken out of context and said the Congress leader had merely referred to information conveyed by the Solicitor General that the Prime Minister was personally monitoring the re-examination.

"For the sake of our students, we must believe that the exam will be held successfully," Ramesh said, explaining Singh's position.

Ramesh also launched a fresh attack on the government's handling of examination-related controversies, claiming the education system had lost credibility due to repeated failures.

BJP HITS BACK

Ramesh's intervention drew a response from BJP Rajya Sabha MP and former National Commission for Women chairperson Rekha Sharma.

"Jairam ji, you are a very senior leader and I don't expect you speaking on the working of a committee in which you are not even a member," Sharma wrote on social media.

She also pointed out that parliamentary committee proceedings are generally treated as confidential until reports are formally tabled.

"Why is Congress making parliamentary committees its war room to play its dirty politics?" she asked.

Among those present at the meeting from the ruling side were Ravi Shankar Prasad, Ghanshyam Tiwari, Bansuri Swaraj and Sambit Patra. Opposition members included DMK's T Sumathy, Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai and Congress MP Dean Kuriakose.

Even as political sparring continued outside the committee room, members across party lines appeared united on one point — that the credibility of the June 21 NEET re-test will be crucial for millions of students awaiting a fair examination process.

- Ends