BJP MP Subramanian Swamy has been vociferous in supporting demands of students to postpone the NEET and JEE qualifying examinations that are to be held this month due to the COVID-19 situation.
JEE/ NEET exams in the middle of a galloping COVID-19 infections, paralysing lockdown effects, a collapsing economy, a monsoon in bloom, Chinese Dragon gobbling our territory, & chors and murderers in Bollywood, is like Jallianwala Bagh where innocent were gunned down.
— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) September 4, 2020
While not directly criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Swamy had been warning that the BJP could pay a steep electoral cost for not heeding students' sentiments.
In August, Swamy warned that the Modi government going ahead with NEET and JEE would be a "giant mistake" similar to the Indira Gandhi government's mass sterilisation programme (Nasbandi) during the Emergency of 1975-1977. The legacy of Nasbandi was a key reason in the Congress being wiped out in north India during the 1977 elections and is still considered a burden for the party.
On Friday, Swamy compared the move to hold NEET and JEE to another emotive incident in Indian history: The Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre is considered a turning point in Indian history as it led to a surge in support for independence from British rule. Swamy tweeted, "JEE/ NEET exams in the middle of a galloping COVID-19 infections, paralysing lockdown effects, a collapsing economy, a monsoon in bloom, Chinese Dragon gobbling our territory, & chors and murderers in Bollywood, is like Jallianwala Bagh where innocent were gunned down."
On August 31, Swamy had warned going ahead with JEE and NEET could lead to a massive spike in COVID-19 cases and result in India overtaking the US as the country with most infections. Swamy tweeted, "May be we will overtake US after the proposed JEE/NEET exams are over..."
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is scheduled to consider on Friday a plea from ministers of six opposition-ruled states seeking review of its August 17 order allowing holding of NEET and JEE physically.
The ministers had claimed that the top court order failed to secure students' "right to life" and ignored "teething logistical difficulties" to be faced in conducting the exams during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The apex court's August 17 order, which allowed the exams to be held, has become a political battle as the ministers of six states—ruled by parties like Congress, TMC, JMM, NCP and Shiv Sena—sought postponement of the exams "in a manner that achieves the twin objectives of ensuring that the academic year of the students is not wasted and their health and safety is not compromised."
National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts both the examinations, is holding JEE Main Exams from September 1 to September 6, while NEET exams will be held on September 13.
