"Government has nothing to hide, culprits will not be spared": Chirag Paswan on NEET issue

Union Minister Chirag Paswan said on Monday that the government has "nothing to hide" regarding the ongoing row over alleged irregularities in the conduct of NEET-UG exam by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

The Union Minister further said that the culprits will not be spared.

"The government has nothing to hide. The government has taken this issue very seriously. Investigation agencies are conducting investigations. For the welfare of students, the decision will be taken shortly. The culprits will not be spared," Paswan told ANI on Monday.

He also expressed happiness on taking oath as member of the 18th Lok Sabha. Paswan said that his family has accompanied him on his first day to Parliament.

The first session of 18th Lok Sabha commenced on Monday morning with the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected members of the lower house. 

The session will conclude on July 3.The nation is witnessing widespread protests over the alleged irregularities in the conduct of National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance-Test (NEET) (UG) Examination 2024 by the NTA. 

The opposition is demanding to scrap the testing agency.

An unprecedented 67 candidates achieved a perfect score of 720 marks out of 720, which added to the concerns.

The Central Bureau of Investigation registered a criminal case based on a written complaint from the Director of the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education over the NEET irregularities.

As per the agency's FIR, certain "isolated incidents" occurred in a few states during the conduct of the NEET (UG) 2024 examination which was held on May 5, 2024. Special teams have been formed by the CBI to investigate the matter.