Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge Blasts Centre Over NEET Fallout

Speaking at a packed press conference on Saturday, Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge let loose on the Union government for what he described as a three‑month nap after the NEET scandal broke. “The centre finally woke up from a deep slumber,” he said, half‑smiling, half‑angry.

He reminded everyone that the original NEET exam took place on May 3. By May 18, officials admitted the question paper had been leaked, forcing a re‑examination on June 23. In the meantime, hundreds of aspirants had already secured seats in B.Sc. and M.Sc. programmes – a fact that, according to Kharge, added fuel to an already raging fire.

The fallout was, unfortunately, tragic. Twenty‑one students took their own lives, and countless others flooded the streets demanding answers. Yet, instead of sympathy, many protestors were branded as “cockroaches,” a term that Kharge said was used by some officials who even suggested they be sprayed with insecticide. “It was dehumanising, outright insulting,” he added, shaking his head.

Adding insult to injury, the youngsters were accused of receiving food, water and even funding from foreign sources – an accusation that, in Kharge’s view, was nothing short of a political smear. “They were painted as anti‑national, as foreign‑funded agents. That’s how low the narrative went,” he observed.

Amid the chaos, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan tendered his resignation. Kharge praised the move, calling the departing minister’s “four‑page love letter” a gesture to prevent anti‑national forces from uniting. “His resignation is a relief, a sigh of hope for the students,” Kharge remarked.

Following Pradhan’s exit, President Droupadi Murmu, on the advice of the Prime Minister, accepted the resignation and handed over the education portfolio to Union Minister Pralhad Joshi. Joshi will now juggle his existing charge alongside the new responsibilities, a development that Kharge said “needs to be watched closely.”

In closing, Kharge urged the centre to act swiftly, compensate the victims and, above all, stop the demonisation of India’s youth. “Our students are not insects,” he concluded, “they are the future, and they deserve respect, not ridicule.”