Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Wednesday staged a protest rally in Guwahati demanding the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET examination scandal, while also seeking a detailed discussion on the issue in Parliament.
The protest march began from Rajiv Bhawan in Guwahati and was led by Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Assembly, Wazed Ali Choudhury. Raising slogans against the Centre, Congress leaders and workers accused the Union government of failing to ensure transparency and fairness in the conduct of the medical entrance examination.
The protesters demanded that Pradhan step down, taking "moral responsibility" for the controversy surrounding the NEET examination. The APCC also demanded that Parliament hold a comprehensive discussion on the issue and urged the Centre to immediately withdraw all FIRs lodged against students who had protested in Delhi over the alleged irregularities in the examination process.
Several Congress legislators participated in the demonstration, including Deputy Leader of the Opposition Dr Jayanta Prakash Das and MLAs Zakir Hussain Sikdar, Nurul Huda, Baby Begum, Asif Nazar, Zubair Anam and Tanjil Hussain. A large number of party workers and senior leaders carrying Congress flags joined the rally.
Among those present were APCC General Secretary Bipul Gogoi, Guwahati City District Congress Committee President Swapan Das, senior leader Rupa Deuri, General Secretaries Imdad Hussain, Bandip Dutta and Moinajan Begum, Scheduled Caste Cell Chairperson Krishna Das, Media Department representatives Happy Gogoi and Rupa Kalita, and NSUI Assam President Kaushik Kashyap.
The protest remained peaceful under police supervision, with Congress leaders reiterating that the alleged examination irregularities had undermined the confidence of lakhs of students and their families across the country. The party said it would continue its agitation until the Union government accepted responsibility for the controversy and addressed the concerns raised by students and opposition parties over the integrity of the NEET examination process.