"Whose is official?": On JEE, Subramanian Swamy counters Education Minister's 'facts'

Senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Dr Subramanian Swamy on Thursday countered Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal's claim that the number of applicants for JEE Main stands at 8.58 lakhs. Dr Swamy had claimed that out of 18 lakhs students who were supposed to appear in the Joint Entrance Examination (Main) exams, only 8 lakhs turned up to take the exam last week.

'With my compliments, Minister!'

Refuting Dr Swamy's claim, the Education Minister said that the number of applicants for JEE Main stands at 8.58 lakhs, not 18 lakhs. However, now the Rajya Sabha MP has put out a document which says that the Ministry of Education stated to the Supreme Court the number of candidates registered Statewide and abroad were 9,53,473 at 660 centres. "Now whose is official?," Dr Swamy questioned.

The Rajya Sabha MP has been at odds with his party’s stance on a number of issues. Dr Swamy had pitched for postponing the JEE-NEET exams even though the Central government was determined to conduct them despite criticism from the students’ community.

The JEE-Main examination was held amid stringent precautions and social distancing measures in view of COVID-19 pandemic from September 1 to 6. Staggered entry and exit for candidates, sanitisers at the gate, distribution of masks and maintaining social distancing as candidates queued up, were among the scenes witnessed at the exam centres across the country. The exam was postponed twice in view of COVID-19 pandemic.

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The results will now be declared on 11 September, on the basis of which qualifying candidates will sit for JEE Advanced, meant for admission to Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). The JEE Advanced is scheduled to be held on 27 September.

SC Refuses To Hear Plea Seeking Postponement of NEET

Dr Swamy on Wednesday reignited hope for the NEET aspirants ahead of the Supreme Court hearing in the NEET postponement case. Taking to Twitter, Dr Swamy said that Advocate KTS Tulsi will represent the students' case in the Supreme Court. Cautioning the NEET aspirants ahead of the hearing, he said 'in life, nothing is certain unless it happens'. However, the top court refused to hear the plea and said that the examinations will be conducted across the country as scheduled by NTA while rejecting all review petitions along with fresh petitions.

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