Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge has hit back at BJP MP Tejasvi Surya over the NEET-UG re-examination in Bengaluru, challenging the central government to have Prime Minister Narendra Modi face students without a 'curated' setting.
Kharge demanded the resignation of the chairperson of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, citing the recurring paper leaks and student distress in the country.
He also suggested that Surya's outburst was driven by personal ambition within the BJP, saying that he was looking for a ministerial berth in the imminent cabinet reshuffle.
Kharge countered Surya's allegations that the Congress event 'Sankalpa Samavesha' caused massive traffic disruptions and that many students reached examination centres in panic.
The Congress leader said that of 720 students allotted Government Ramnarayan Chellaram College as their examination centre, 142 were absent overall, and the three who missed the exam had valid reasons.
He cited other states where students missed the NEET exam and questioned why the Congress government was being held responsible for the three students who missed the exam in Bengaluru.
Kharge also took a swipe at Surya over a 2022 incident aboard an IndiGo flight, saying that there were no emergency exits for him to escape through after making a baseless allegation.
