OPPN CLOSES ITS RANKS ON NEET EXAM

Since the Education Ministry has refused to defer the JEE and NEET exam schedule citing an apex court order which has bound its hands, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday suggested that all Opposition chief ministers jointly approach the court to press for postponement, since the pandemic was still not under control.

Her suggestion came at a video-conferenced meeting of the chief ministers of seven states convened by Congress President Sonia Gandhi to discuss the Centre's adamant attitude towards the students.

Besides the Congress chief ministers, Maharashtra's Uddhav Thackeray and Jharkhand's Hemant Soren also participated.

Congress sources said Sonia Gandhi also referred to the new National Education Policy as a worrisome development and a setback for the progressive, secular and scientific values. She also accused the Centre of "uncaringly" handling other problems of the students and various exams.

Hitting out at the Modi government over “attacks on the federal structure,” Mamata said the states were being bulldozed by the BJPled Central government. “The situation today…We cannot speak out, we cannot speak freely…from Facebook to everywhere…there is fake news, distorted news to destroy those in the opposition,” she said.

Soren endorsed her views, saying the ruling party was using government agencies against the Opposition and undermining the federal structure. Asserting that “all powers are now getting concentrated in one hand,” Uddhav Thackeray said, “First we will have to decide darna hain ki ladna hain…ladna hain to ladna hain…We have to protect federalism.”

GST BETRAYAL: With the GST council scheduled to meet on Thursday, Gandhi said refusal to compensate states on GST was nothing short of betrayal by the Modi government.

She pointed out that in a meeting of the Parliamentar y Standing Committee of Finance on August 11, the finance secretar y had said the Centre is not in a position to pay the mandatory GST compensation of 14% to the states for the current year.

"This refusal is nothing short of betrayal on the part of the Modi government,” Gandhi said.