Bhubaneswar: The state BJP has appealed to students not to be swayed by what it described as politically motivated agitations over the NEET examination issue and urged them to focus on their academic pursuits while contributing to the vision of a “Developed India and Prosperous Odisha.”
Addressing news persons here, Law and Works Minister and senior BJP leader Prithviraj Harichandan said the Narendra Modi government has consistently placed students’ welfare and future at the top of its priorities and has acted decisively to safeguard their interests.
Launching a sharp attack on the Opposition, Harichandan alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was exploiting students’ concerns to revive his political fortunes. He also dismissed former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s criticism of the Centre over the NEET paper leak controversy as “hypocritical.”
“It is ironic that Naveen Patnaik, during whose tenure Odisha witnessed several examination paper leak incidents, is now questioning the Centre on the issue,” Harichandan said. Defending the Centre’s response, the BJP leader said the Union government acted promptly after reports of irregularities in the NEET examination surfaced by cancelling the examination, ordering a comprehensive investigation, arresting the accused and ensuring that the examination was conducted again fairly and transparently.
He claimed that Odisha also completed its examination process smoothly under the direct supervision of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, with results already declared and the admission process set to begin.
“At this stage, there is no justification for launching protests except to create unrest and mislead students,” Harichandan asserted. The minister alleged that the ongoing agitation was being spearheaded by Abhijit Dipke, whom he described as an active member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
He claimed that after being rejected by the electorate, the AAP, Congress and Left parties had joined hands to create instability by using students as a political platform. According to Harichandan, the organisers of the agitation were exploiting students’ emotions to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi, raise anti-national slogans and promote divisive elements.
“This is not a genuine students’ movement but a politically orchestrated campaign aimed at creating anarchy,” he said, urging students across Odisha to stay away from such protests, remain focused on their education and contribute to nation-building.
Reiterating the Centre’s commitment to students, Harichandan said the Modi government had ordered fast-track trials in the NEET paper leak cases and initiated stringent action against those responsible. These steps, he said, reflected the government’s determination to protect the integrity of competitive examinations.