Bengaluru, July 21 (UNI)
BJP leader and Chief Whip of the Opposition in the Legislative Council N Ravikumar on Tuesday alleged that the recent NEET protest in New Delhi was hijacked by Left organisations and "anti-national" elements, claiming the agitation had gone far beyond students' concerns and turned into a "well-planned conspiracy" targeting Parliament and the Narendra Modi government.
Addressing reporters here, Ravikumar claimed that while students have every democratic right to protest, the demonstration near Parliament was infiltrated by activists affiliated with Left organisations such as the Students' Federation of India (SFI), All India Students' Association (AISA), All India Democratic Students' Organisation (AIDSO), and other political groups.
"The protest was no longer about students or the NEET examination. It was converted into a political campaign with a different agenda," he alleged.
Ravikumar claimed that more than 150 police personnel were injured in the clashes and several were hospitalised. Alleging that stones were hurled at Parliament and police vehicles overturned, he said the violence pointed to a deliberate attempt to breach Parliament premises.
He accused the Opposition of selectively targeting the Modi government over examination leaks while remaining silent when similar incidents occurred during the UPA regime. Citing alleged paper leak cases between 2006 and 2014, he questioned why no nationwide protests were organised then.
Highlighting the NDA government's education record, Ravikumar aid the number of MBBS seats had increased from 51,348 during the UPA government to 1,36,939 under the NDA, while postgraduate medical seats had more than tripled. He also said the number of medical colleges had risen from 387 to around 780, attributing the expansion to sustained investment in medical education.
Ravikumar further said the National Education Policy and the expansion of higher education institutions reflected the Modi government's commitment to students, alleging that Congress and Left parties opposed these reforms despite broad support from education experts.
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