India / Conduct NEET, JEE after Diwali or it may lead to suicides: Swamy to PM Modi

New Delhi: As the speculations and demand for postponement of JEE and NEET examinations for this year increase, Bhartiya Janata Party leader and Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy on Friday said that he has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as the education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal to conduct the entrance examinations of NEET, JEE and other competitive exams till after Diwali, in the wake of novel coronavirus pandemic.

The BJP leader took to Twitter and posted, “I have just spoken to the Minister of Education suggesting that NEET and other exams be conducted after Deepavali. The SC order the other day is not a bar since the Hon’ble Court has left the date to the government. I am sending an urgent letter to the PM just now.

I have just spoken to the Minister of Education suggesting that NEET and other exams be conducted after Deepavali. The SC order the other day is not a bar since the Hon’ble Court has left the date to the government. I am sending an urgent letter to the PM just now.

— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) August 21, 2020

In the letter, Swamy wrote, "There is wide spread desperation amongst the youth since this exam is make or break for them and they have to take it fully prepared. Holding the exam in toy opinion you may lead to a large number of suicides around the country of youth."

He also cited that the Supreme Court "doesn't bind the government at all, on whether to now or two weeks later or two months later, the examinations. It is a policy decision of the Government."

He also wrote that in order to hold the competitive examinations, every part of the required infrastructure as currently such infrastructure was not yet in place for students. "In the city of Bombay for example, there is no public transport and people have to come from in the adjacent areas, often 20kms to 30kms away," Swamy pointed out in the letter.

In another tweet Swamy wrote, “I have already tweeted as well as conveyed to Education Minister that NEET exams should be after Deepavali. Minister is holding an emergency meeting. Let us see. I was asked to intervene by you all at a very late stage after SC had delivered its judgment."

The JEE Main examination is scheduled to be held between September 1 to 6 while JEE advanced exam will take place on September 27. NEET examination will be held on September 13.

On Monday, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea seeking postponement of JEE (Main) April 2020 and NEET-Undergraduate examinations saying precious year of students "cannot be wasted" and life has to go on.

"Life has to go on. Life has to move ahead. Precious year of students cannot be wasted," the bench, also comprising Justices B R Gavai and Krishna Murari, said during the hearing conducted through video conferencing while paving the way for commencement of the exams as scheduled.

The plea, filed by 11 students belonging to 11 states, had sought quashing of the July 3 notices issued by the National Testing Agency (NTA), by which it was decided to conduct the Joint Entrance Examination (Main) April 2020 and National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-Undergraduate exams in September.

Last month, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank announced that JEE and NEET examinations have been postponed and will now be held in September, keeping in view the safety of students amid Covid-19 pandemic.

On May 7, it was announced that JEE Advanced Exam will be conducted on August 23. Nishank had earlier announced the NEET exam will be held on 26 July while the IIT-JEE (Main) examination will be held on 18, 20, 21, 22, and 23 July.