Congress president Sonia Gandhi, along with her son Rahul on Friday asserted on the importance of holding discussions with
students on the issue surrounding the NEET and JEE
exams amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The
Congress, apart from other opposition parties, has called for deferring the
National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination
(JEE) with the country gripped with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and ravaging floods.

Also Read: NEET, JEE protests: Congress leaders detained in Delhi

Earlier
today, as many as six ministers from opposition-ruled states sought a review of
the Supreme Court decision which allowed the central government to go ahead
with the examinations this year.

Through its Twitter account, the Congress posted a video of Sonia Gandhi, who says, “I feel for you because you are now facing a very difficult situation. The issue of your exams, of when they should be taken up is the most important issue, not only for you but for your family.”

“You are our future. We depend on you to build a better India,” she said.

“Therefore, if any decision has to be taken regarding students’ future, it is important that it is being taken with your concurrence,” the Congress chief said.

“I hope the government listens to you, listens to your voices and acts upon your wishes. This is my advice to the government,” she said.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi also took to his Twitter account to send his message to the government. 

“NEET-JEE aspirants’ safety should not be compromised due
to the failures of the government. Government must listen to all stakeholders
and arrive at a consensus,” Rahul Gandhi tweeted with the hashtag #SpeakUpForStudentSafety. 

He also posted
a video of him wherein he asks the government to arrive at a decision only
after considering the student’s opinions first and coming to an agreement with
them.

“You are
the students and you are going to take this country to new heights. Everybody
understands what has happened over the last three or four months,” Gandhi said
in the video.  

“Everybody
understands the mishandling of COVID-19, the devastation that has been caused,
the economic destruction, the pain that this country has had to bear. Now what
I don’t understand is why you should be held responsible and why further pain
should be imposed on you,” he said.

Also Read: Students want NEET and JEE exams to be held at any cost: Education Minister

 Blaming the government of incompetence, the
former Congress chief questioned the Centre’s decision to ‘force’ the exams on
the students.

“It is
important that the government listens to the students, they are wise, they have
the interest of this country at heart and any decision that is made with regard
to these exams is made after a conversation and after a consensus has been
developed and this is my message to the government,” he said.

Congress
general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra asserted that the government cannot ignore
the concerns of students appearing for JEE and NEET and their parents.

“They are
the future of our country.With the rising scale of the pandemic, is it fair to
expose them to infection in this manner? Are they not our children too?” she
said.

Also Read: Mandatory masks and gloves, no thumb impressions: NTA’s guidelines for NEET, JEE

On Wednesday,
Congress general secretary organization, KC Venugopal had said that various Congress
state units will hold demonstrations on Friday in front of central government
offices and state and district headquarters.

NEET is scheduled
for September 13, while JEE-Main is scheduled between September 1-6.  Around 8.58 lakh candidates have registered
for the JEE-Main and 15.97 lakh have registered for the NEET. The exams have
been deferred twice in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.