NEET-UG row: Congress alleges BJP Minority Morcha VP’s involvement in paper leak

The Congress party has alleged that the vice president of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Minority Wing was involved in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or NEET-UG scam alongside the chairman of the Jay Jalaram Education Trust, who is reportedly a close aide of the BJP.

Congress Rajya Sabha MP and Gujarat Congress President Shaktisinh Gohil, during a press conference on Saturday made the allegations based on an affidavit purportedly filed by the deputy superintendent of police (DySP) of Godhra in the sessions court.

The allegations are expected to intensify the ongoing protests and concerns over the NEET exam.

“The government has claimed in the Supreme Court that the paper was not leaked, and their ministers have said that ‘sab changa si’ (all is well). However, the DySP in the sessions court in Godhra admitted that crores of rupees were recovered during the investigation, along with several blank cheques provided by the parents of students who attended the examination centre”, said Gohil.

He added, according to the affidavit, large sums of money were taken in advance from students in Odisha, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Bihar with blank cheques.

Gohil alleged that the students were asked to choose their preferred exam centre – Jay Jalaram School, Gujarati Medium – and 10 lakh rupees were paid in advance, and blank cheques were collected because the amount varied depending on the college to which the student would get admission.

“Police have recovered a list of the roll numbers of students involved in the scam, with roll numbers marked in brown and red to identify those whose money has been received,” he added.

Gohil further claimed that students were instructed to fill in only the answers they were certain of, and after the exams, someone else would complete the remaining answers on their OMR sheets before sealing them.

The main accused, Tushar Bhat, who served as the deputy superintendent of the examination centre at Jay Jalaram Education Trust and also worked there as a professor, was named in the scam.

Another accused is Purshottam Mahavir Prasad, the city coordinator for NEET in Godhra district and the principal of the same examination centre. These two were responsible for sealing the answer sheets.

Five people, including the school principal of Jalaram School in Godhra town in Gujarat’s Panchmahal district, were arrested for allegedly trying to help students clear the NEET-UG examination, earlier this month.

Three others arrested in connection with the scam were Parshuram Bindnath, Binod Anand, and Arif Vahora, who were responsible for meeting with parents and collecting money and blank cheques. Crores of rupees and blank cheques were recovered in a raid on their premises. Vahora is the vice president of the BJP’s Minority Wing.

Gohil further alleged that they sealed the answer sheets in boxes but later opened the seals, marked the answers, and then resealed them at a restaurant, with CCTV footage as evidence.

The Congress leader claimed that, the vice president of the BJP’s Minority Morcha. He criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating, “Karodo se kam khata ni, sach bolne walon ko chain ki roti khane deta nahi’’ (They don’t take less than crores (of rupees), and they don’t let them live peacefully those who speak the truth), while showcasing a banner featuring Modi and Vahora.

He further questioned the BJP on several points. “Why did the government lie to the Supreme Court? Why did Modi and his Twitter remain silent on the NEET issue? Why was Jay Jalaram Education Trust, previously fined and under suspicion, allotted the examination centre? Why is the chairman not yet arrested?”

Gohil alleged that the trust is essentially a family trust, pointing out that the chairman’s close ties to PM Modi and former Union minister Smriti Irani might be the reason for his continued freedom.

He stated, “This is the true picture of the BJP. Despite having all the information and proof, including CCTV footage of the answer sheets being tampered with at a restaurant, the government lied to the Supreme Court.”

The Congress MP further alleged that the Jay Jalaram Education Trust was also given the centre for Gujarat Common Entrance Test (GUJCET), for admission to undergraduate courses in engineering, pharmacy, and other professional courses offered by various colleges and universities in Gujarat. He demanded that the BJP disclose how much money the Jay Jalaram Trust has given officially and unofficially to the party’s treasury.

According to the Congress party, the scam was planned by the above-mentioned five (arrested) individuals at two centres run by the same trust. Information was given to the collector on June 8, and a team led by the district education officer concluded that a scam was ongoing. A first information report was filed, and after investigation, the Godhra DySP submitted the affidavit to the sessions court, which forms the basis of these allegations. The Congress claims to possess a copy of this affidavit.

During the press conference, Gohil displayed old photos showing various senior BJP leaders, including Irani, other former chief ministers and cabinet ministers of Gujarat, and PM Modi too, posing with the chairman of the Jay Jalaram Trust on various occasions.

He also alleged that the government allowed the school to admit 450 students into the standard 11, despite a maximum limit of 60 students. The school was fined Rs.35,65,000 for charging more than the standard fee. Jay Jalaram Education Trust admitted their mistake in writing and agreed to pay the fine.

Gohil alleged that the scam occurred at centres under the Jay Jalaram Education Trust – Pravadi, Godhra and Padal Thermal and questioned why a fraudulent school, inaugurated by former BJP minister Smriti Irani in 2016, was allotted as an examination centre.

BJP has not responded to the allegations made by the Congress party yet.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been pressed into investigating the NEET-UG malpractices case. On Thursday, the agency recorded statements of three candidates who had allegedly paid an accused for helping them clear the medical entrance test held at a private school near Godhra.