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    COVER STORY                                                           AUGUST 07, 2026      |  The Indian Eye                    4

                                                       GEN Z PROTESTS

                      A TURNING

                                          POINT?

                The political battle over the NEET controversy has pushed both the ruling BJP and the
              Congress party to engage with the young voters vocal about accountability and fairness

            OUR BUREAU                                                                                            undermined students’ faith in the sys-
                                                                                                                  tem, stating: “Leaked papers. Can-
            New Delhi
                                                                                                                  celled exams. Years of preparation
                  he   controversy  surround-                                                                     destroyed overnight. Our students
                  ing the National Eligibili-                                                                     are told to work honestly in a system
            Tty-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)                                                                          that is not honest with them.”
            has moved beyond allegations of pa-
            per leaks and examination irregular-                                                                        Accountability versus
            ities to become a significant political                                                                         reassurance
            issue centered on India’s youth. The                                                                        he  contrasting  responses  re-
            responses from the Bharatiya Janata                                                                         veal two distinct political
            Party (BJP)-led government and the                                                                    Tnarratives emerging from the
            Congress suggest that students have                                                                   same controversy.
            emerged as an increasingly important                                                                      The BJP has concentrated on
            political constituency, with both sides                                                               restoring confidence in public exam-
            attempting to frame themselves as                                                                     inations.
            protectors of young aspirations.                                                                          Union Health Minister J.P.
                While the government has fo-
            cused  on  restoring  confidence  in                                                                  Nadda  reviewed  preparations  for
                                                                                                                  NEET-PG 2026, directing officials to
            the examination system through en-                                                                    ensure a “fair, transparent and can-
            hanced security measures and ap-   The NEET controversy has emerged as one of the most politically sensitive challenges facing   didate-friendly examination” while
            peals for reconciliation following            Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his third term (ANI photo)  maintaining the highest standards of
            student protests, the Opposition has                                                                  security.
            sought  to  position  itself  alongside   Referring to abusive slogans al-  the nation, pursue their dreams and   The review highlighted extensive
            aggrieved students and their families   legedly directed at him and his late   learn from their mistakes while con-  technological safeguards, including
            by making accountability the central   mother during the protests, the Prime   tributing to India’s progress.   encrypted question paper prepa-
            political issue.                  Minister said, “Mistakes happen in    The government’s messaging    ration, biometric authentication,
                Taken together, the develop-
            ments indicate that the NEET con-  childhood, and childhood also of-  therefore sought to reduce confronta-  CCTV surveillance, signal  jammers,
                                              fers the opportunity to correct those
                                                                                tion while emphasizing guidance, na-
                                                                                                                  live monitoring, advance verification
            troversy has become a contest over   mistakes.” He urged society not to   tional development and reconciliation.  of examination centers and deploy-
            political messaging directed at Gen-  punish or socially ostracize those in-  The Congress adopted a mark-  ment of more than 60,000 examina-
            eration Z—a demographic whose     volved but instead to “embrace these   edly different approach.     tion personnel.
            expectations increasingly extend be-  children  and  show  them  the  right   Leader of Opposition Rahul   Nadda  also warned  candidates
            yond employment opportunities to   path.”                           Gandhi framed the issue not as one   not to believe rumors regarding pa-
            include institutional credibility, trans-  He argued that legal action and   of youthful conduct but of institu-  per  leaks,  stressing  that  the  final
            parency and responsiveness.
                                              social harassment would not solve   tional failure. In a post on X, he said,   question paper is selected shortly be-
                  Competing narratives        the problem, saying, “Punishing   “Nothing is more painful than seeing   fore the examination through a highly
                                              them, dragging them through court   a parent grieve their child. Behind ev-  secure process and that any claim of
                  rime Minister Narendra Mo-  proceedings, and harassing them in   ery young life lost is a family carrying   prior access is “entirely false.”
                  di’s response to the protests at   society, none of this will change the   pain that will never leave them—and   The government’s emphasis has
            PJantar Mantar reflected an ef-   situation. I want to forgive them.”   serious questions about a broken ed-  therefore been on administrative re-
            fort to separate the behavior of some   The Prime Minister concluded   ucation system.”               form and technological safeguards de-
            protesters from the larger student   with a direct appeal to young people,   He  alleged  that  repeated  paper   signed to reassure students that correc-
            community.                        urging them to move forward with   leaks and cancelled examinations had    Continued on next page... >>

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