Manipur Congress staging protest demanding postponement of JEE Main and NEET exams 2020 in Imphal on August 28.
IMPHAL/Shillong, August 28 (NNN): The Congress party in Manipur and Meghalaya joined the nationwide protests demanding the postponement of NEET and JEE examinations 2020 on Friday.
In Imphal, leaders and members of Manipur Pradesh Youth Congress Committee (MPYCC) and National Students Union of India (NSUI) gathered in front of the Congress Bhavan under the aegis of the Manipur Pradesh Youth Congress (MPYC).
Leaders participating in the protest said that they were showing solidarity to the demand of the students against holding NEET and JEE exams 2020. The National Testing Agency (NTA) has decided to conduct the exams 2020 in September amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Holding the exams amid the pandemic will create a big problem to the students besides mentally harassing them", the Congress leaders alleged. "The BJP government should listen to the voice of students who are concerned about safety and transportation during Covid-19", said MPYCC president Mahananda Nunglepam.
He feared that many aspirant candidates would miss the exams if the exams are conducted amid the COVID-19 induced lockdown as there would be problems in the transportation. He then alleged that even as the NTA announced conducting the exams as per schedule, they did not spell out how they will arrange the transportation and lodging of the students who will be appearing in the exams.
“Considering the risks to be faced by the students, the government should consider postponement of the exams,” he said. The exams can be conducted when the situation of the pandemic is improved to certain extent, he further added.
In Meghalaya, the protests were held in Shillong. The programme began with a “massive” online campaign – Speak up for Student Safety – followed by the main protest led by Meghalaya Congress Working President James Lyngdoh at Congress Bhawan.
In his address, Lyngdoh regretted that the Centre was “trying to bulldoze their plan of holding JEE-NEET against the interest of the students".
He maintained that the government “has not made suitable transport facilities for all candidates and feared that in the process the poor and the students of the remote areas would be left out.”
Others who spoke during the Shillong protest included Bajop Pyngrope MDC and state President of the National Students Union of India, Bansharailang Pyngrope.
