NEET-JEE row: Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren tears apart Centre's 'admit card' argument

On Friday, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren mocked the Centre's argument that downloading of admit cards implied the support of students for holding the JEE and NEET exams on time. He was addressing a joint press conference alongside Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi, TMC MP Derek O'Brien and Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant. Observing that the Union government had not opened educational institutions since the commencement of the nationwide lockdown, he questioned the rationale for holding the JEE and NEET exams.

Soren said, "Thousands of people have lost their lives due to COVID-19. So far, there is no cure for this virus. If a student or his family members get infected with COVID-19 because of these exams, who will take responsibility for this?". He also lamented that the Centre did not attempt to find an alternative solution. According to him, it was possible to postpone the exams for a few more days. 

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren remarked, "The Centre has argued that lakhs of students have downloaded the admit card. I don't understand what kind of logic is this. If this is the case if someone has life insurance, will that person die tomorrow?"

"I am worried as to why the Centre did not hold a discussion on an alternative solution. The 4-year engineering course can be completed in three and a half years. It is clear that there would have been no issue if the exams would have been postponed for a few more days," he added.

Read: NEET-JEE Exams: Sachin Pilot Demands Postponement As Cong Demonstrates Across India

While the JEE Main examination will be held between September 1 to 6, the NEET examination is scheduled for September 13. Talking to the media on Thursday, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank revealed that 7.5 lakh out of 8.58 lakh JEE candidates have downloaded their admit cards. He added that over 10 lakh out of 15.97 lakh NEET aspirants had downloaded admit cards in 24 hours. The Union Education Minister attributed this to the willingness of the students to appear for the JEE and NEET exams as scheduled. 

Read: Akhilesh Yadav Poses 3 Questions To BJP Over Holding NEET-JEE Amid Chorus For Postponement

Jharkhand CM seeks postponement of JEE & NEET exams

On Thursday, Soren requested Nishank to postpone the JEE and NEET exams in "public interest". Acknowledging that the aforesaid exams are extremely critical in a student's career, he stressed that safety and mental peace was of utmost importance. In his letter, he stated that the Jharkhand government had not commenced public transport and allowed hospitality units to reopen because of the COVID-19 crisis. Thereafter, Soren pointed out that students living in containment zones would find it difficult to move out of the area.

Read: Congress Follows Rahul Gandhi's Clarion Call; Leads Nationwide Protest Against NEET-JEE