Scrap NEET, reinstate 'old system', says Mayawati

Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Thursday demanded the scrapping of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test and reinstatement of the "old system" of medical admissions.

Several opposition parties have slammed the BJP-led central government over alleged irregularities in the medical entrance examination NEET.

"The irregularities in the All-India NEET-UG Medical Examination is a serious issue and has reached Parliament and the Supreme Court. Whatever be the result, the pain and mental agony caused to lakhs of candidates and their families will always haunt them," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said on X.

"The Centre has failed to assure the people that it can conduct such an important exam properly, which has made the problem more serious. Therefore, why not end the centralised NEET UG-PG exam and reinstate the old system, as is the demand of many state governments," she said in the post in Hindi.

The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the NEET-UG for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses, and the Union education ministry have been at the centre of a row over alleged large-scale malpractice, ranging from question paper leaks to impersonation in the test held on May 5.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the pleas seeking cancellation and re-test of the 2024 NEET-UG, holding that there was no evidence on record to conclude that it was "vitiated" on account of a "systemic breach" of its sanctity.