Northeast Desk, 21st June: The Manipur Congress today (June 21) staged a sit-in protest at Congress Bhavan against alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) Under Graduate-2024. Protesters, including former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and MP-elect Dr Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, gathered holding placards demanding justice for NEET candidates and condemning the purported paper leak.
Placards at the protest bore slogans such as “Scrap NTA,” “Demand for justice for NEET candidates,” and “NEET Fraud, government flawed.” Speaking to the media during the demonstration, MPCC president Keisham Meghachandra Singh criticized the Centre for failing to prevent scandals in the education sector, which he argued could severely impact the future of hardworking students.
“There are many students sincerely preparing for NEET and NET. Scandals and irregularities will demoralize them and could even lead to tragic outcomes like suicide. This protest aims to save their future and demand justice,” stated Meghachandra Singh.
Addressing a controversy over the Chief Minister’s absence from a high-level meeting, Meghachandra Singh rebutted Minister Govindas Konthoujam’s remarks, clarifying that the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers constitute the executive and cannot be excluded from crucial discussions.
“Minister Govindas’s assertion that the Chief Minister’s absence was due to an ‘executive meeting’ shows a lack of understanding of constitutional roles. The Chief Minister and his team are pivotal in all executive matters,” he affirmed, alleging the exclusion of the Chief Minister from a recent meeting chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah as unconstitutional.
The sit-in protest underscored growing concerns over educational integrity in Manipur and called for immediate action to address the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2024 examination.