- 14 hours ago
The National Testing Agency has cancelled the NEET UG 2026 medical entrance examination following widespread allegations of a paper leak.
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00:01Good evening, you're watching To The Point. I'm Preeti Chaudhary. A sense of deja vu, but only if it was
00:07limited to deja vu because it is playing with the careers of lats of young children and young adults.
00:14The latest is that the National Testing Agency has cancelled NEET-UG examination under the cloud of paper leak.
00:22We're going to delve into it deeper, get you all the latest coming up. First, the headlines.
00:33NEET-UG exam cancelled after paper leak. Guest paper allegedly sold for Rs. 5 lakh. Suspect Shubham Khernar nabbed from
00:41Nasik. CBI launches probe into the matter.
00:51In an exclusive conversation with India Today, NTADG Abhishek Singh takes responsibility for NEET chaos, assures to arrest and punish
01:00all culprits.
01:03We take complete responsibility of that. We have said that we'll not be charging any more fees. We are refunding
01:10the fees that we had charged earlier. We are committed to conduct a zero-error examination.
01:17Huge controversy erupts after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay appoints his personal astrologer as officer on special duty.
01:24TVK allies, CPM Congress, VCK call decision unacceptable. Ask the Chief Minister to reconsider move.
01:38AIADMK heads towards a split. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay meets AIADMK rebels a day ahead of crucial floor test.
01:46Rebel camp led by CV, Shanmugam and SP, Velumani openly back Vijay.
01:54We ask the ADMK Legislative Party to form the government with the support of the DMK government, which is against
02:02our founding principles.
02:04We accept the people mandate. The people mandate is not only for TVK. The mandate is for Chief Minister Vijay.
02:18Keralam Chief Minister's suspense peaks. Congress high command in a conundrum. Satishan digs in heels over Chief Ministerial post.
02:25Non-stop Delhi meets, but no solution yet. Satishan versus Kesi Wainugopal, who will get the Chief Minister's post.
02:37Meanwhile in Assam, Himanta Biswasarma sworn in as Assam Chief Minister's second term for Himanta with record mandate.
02:43Four others also sworn in as Mantris. Home Minister sharp-topped Modi. Mantris attend oath.
02:57The NEET-UG exam runs into controversy ear on ear. Who could have forgotten what had taken place in 2024?
03:04Well, the latest, the NEET-UG exam cancelled again.
03:08The government had promised a clean-up of India's biggest entrance exam system, but nothing like that.
03:14NEET is back at the centre of a massive paper leak storm.
03:17The big question tonight, who compromised the exam?
03:21How deep does the rot run?
03:22Why do students keep paying the price of systematic failure?
03:26And what about the Education Ministry?
03:29What about the National Testing Agency?
03:36May 3rd. Lacks of students walk into exam centres across India for NEET-UG-2026.
03:44Dreaming of medical seats, careers and futures.
03:52Days later, outrage erupted after claims that a guest paper matched the actual exam.
03:59And just nine days after the exam, the National Testing Agency pulled the plug.
04:05NEET-UG-2026 stands cancelled.
04:33The center has now ordered a comprehensive CBI probe.
04:36Fresh exam dates will be announced separately and no fresh registration is required.
04:42The re-exam will now be conducted under tighter scrutiny.
04:46So what triggered the cancellation?
04:50India Today's investigation exposed major red flags.
04:54A guest paper circulated in Rajasthan allegedly matched the real NEET questions.
05:00Nearly 120 chemistry questions reportedly matched.
05:03Guest paper circulated a week before the exam.
05:06The question bank was circulated via social media.
05:09And sources claim it was sold for lakhs before being circulated wider.
05:15Now investigators believe the leak trail may stretch across India.
05:22Investigators suspect the leak began at a printing press in Nashik.
05:26The paper allegedly travelled through Haryana and Rajasthan before surfacing in multiple states including Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala and
05:36Uttarakhand.
05:38The CBI is now probing whether a nationwide racket compromised India's biggest medical entrance exam.
05:46Speaking to India today, NTA chief said that the agency is committed to zero tolerance towards leak and is scrutinizing
05:54the leak carefully.
05:57This will be a zero tolerance examination, zero error examination and anybody who wants to, who thwarts the efforts of
06:04the 22 lakh students will be met with the strong arm of the law.
06:10We were vigilant before the conduct of the examination, on the day of the examination and also after the examination.
06:17And this is not the first neat controversy.
06:22In 2024-2, paper leak allegations, controversial grace marks and multiple 720 out of 720 scores triggered massive outrage.
06:34There were also allegations of cheating, impersonation and even students receiving wrong language question papers.
06:41A year later, critics say no lessons were learnt.
06:46A political battle has now erupted.
06:49The opposition has slammed the government over repeated examination failures.
06:55Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the BGP government of pushing students into mental stress because of what he called a
07:02corrupt system.
07:07Another year, another neat controversy.
07:10And until accountability follows outrage, India's students may continue paying the price for a broken examination system.
07:18Bureau Report, India Today.
07:24The question is very simple, viewers.
07:27Can the National Testing Agency get away by saying we are taking full responsibility year on year?
07:32They are failing the students of this country and once again, a cancellation of the neat examination this time around.
07:40It has been cancelled.
07:41Why?
07:41Because there has been a paper leak.
07:43Not new where neat is concerned.
07:45Who can forget 2024 where the Supreme Court had to intervene?
07:48At that point of time, the exam was not cancelled but was rescheduled.
07:52However, grace marks were limited at that point of time.
07:56What now?
07:56Let's cut across to our guest joining us.
07:59Akansha Kumari is joining us.
08:01She's a neat aspirant.
08:03She's from Bihar.
08:05Harshit Thakral, neat aspirant, 2026.
08:07Rumhasi Haryana.
08:08Maheshwar Perry, founder, Career360.
08:12Harsh Mehra is a student, dental student now.
08:15He was a neat aspirant.
08:16If you remember what went down in 2024, but with all the issues, decided to give up on neat.
08:22Professor Chandrabhushan Sharma, educationist, vice chancellor of Vinoba Bhave University in Hazaribhag, former professor of education and director of the
08:31School of Education.
08:32I want to quickly cut across to Mr. Perry.
08:34Mr. Perry, this is not the first time one can go back on how week on week we tracked the
08:40neat fallout in 2024 with the Supreme Court itself stepping in.
08:44Can the NTA now just get away by saying, oh, we take full responsibility, we are going to plug the
08:50gaps?
08:52No, I think no agency should be, you know, if there is a criminal out here who is to be
08:59hanged, of course they should be doing that.
09:01But at the same time, NTA simply cannot wash their hands of this whole thing.
09:04The simple thing is that the kind of trauma that is caused to the students, you know, all these people
09:09have gone back to the villages.
09:10They have to come back to the center all over again.
09:12They have to travel all over again.
09:14They would have made a lot of plans about how to go about doing, not just using the score, but
09:18how to use the holidays in the interim.
09:20Everything goes out for a toss and all because NTA repeatedly has been failing.
09:25You know, 2024, Priti, we all discussed this entire conversation, controversy, and we said there has to be a complete
09:31audit after an exam is conducted so that any loopholes can be plugged in.
09:36The problem is that, you know, we deal with a problem only for that point of view and then move
09:40on and again a similar problem would exactly the same problem.
09:43This problem has come out exactly in 2024 where Sikhar was the origin and there was a leak that happened
09:48in Sikhar and everyone talked of Sikhar.
09:50And then it expanded to multiple other cities.
09:53This is exactly a repetition of what happened in 2024.
09:56Of course, at that point in time, the government did not think it is pertinent to, you know, have a
10:00readmeet in that sense.
10:01But it is exactly the same thing happened, mind you.
10:04And this point in time, the fact that they actually went ahead and cancelled the examination means it is at
10:09a much larger scale.
10:10Mind you, in 2024 also, it was a lot of hala about how the paper was leaked.
10:15But the government did not feel it was necessary to cancel the examination, which this time around, within a week,
10:21they have taken a decision to cancel the examination,
10:22which means that the leak is much bigger than what ever happened.
10:26Because remember, 2024, they still felt that the integrity of the exam was not appropriate.
10:31Mr. Perry, 2024, the Supreme Court stepped in and the Supreme Court said that it wasn't mass level, the leak.
10:36So, what was withheld was grace marks of over 1,500 students.
10:40It was limited to that.
10:42So, no, there are two things to this, Preeti.
10:45You know, the government felt that the integrity was not compromised, in which is the argument they put it up
10:49in the Supreme Court.
10:50Remember that.
10:51It's not just the Supreme Court felt that.
10:53The government argued in front of the Supreme Court that the integrity was not compromised and Supreme Court agreed on
10:58that.
10:58But this time, the government itself is saying that the integrity of the exam is compromised.
11:02So, to that extent, it has to be much larger scale.
11:04No, you're bang on.
11:06It has to be on much larger scale.
11:07And why are no lessons learned where what was promised at the back of 2024 viewers,
11:11and I'm sure every person who is looking at NEAT, who has aspired, you know, for NEAT will know that,
11:19that the government said, the education minister came out and said, Mr. Pradhan, at that point of time,
11:24that all loopholes will be plugged.
11:26The systematic gaps that were severe will all be plugged.
11:30None of that has happened.
11:31And this time around, it was the National Testing Agency, of its own volition, said that the paper leak was
11:37at such a scale
11:38that the entire examination had to be scrapped.
11:42Professor Sharma, would you want to weigh in on this?
11:45Because this is year on year and collateral in all of this is lacks of students.
11:51Yes, I think we need to look at two aspects of the NEAT exam.
11:55One is the agency, the organization which conducts it, the process, and the conduct part.
12:03So I will first reflect on the agency and its functioning.
12:07I was privy to the whole process of creation of NTA, and I had then said,
12:13and I had also said in 2024 when the NEAT discussion took place,
12:18we created a very high-profile organization which had very high stakes,
12:23and the organization is not prepared for it.
12:27You have a person at the helm of affairs.
12:29Then I had said, the DG was sacked, the new D.C., Mr. Abhishek Singh,
12:34who is now today the DG, was brought in.
12:37I remember the statement of Prime Minister in the Parliament where he said,
12:46Why do you have an NTA Director General who doesn't know exam,
12:51who has never conducted exam?
12:52I would like to quote you that you had been conducting the IIT test through the IITs
12:59and never the question leaked, because the person at the helm of affairs
13:03was a professor who knew how to arrange the exam and did it.
13:07You look at the CBSC, I mean, it's important to look at it.
13:12You don't have CBSC leaks.
13:14You have a very professor.
13:15I remember 2004, 2006, the medical exam question leaked.
13:22One Mr. Sanjay Bhardwaz used to be the head, at the helm of affairs,
13:28and he conducted the exam in one week's time,
13:31and never again did it happen with CBSC.
13:33But, Mr. Sharma, this is something that has been raised over and over again.
13:37I remember even in 2024, you raised exactly the same issue.
13:41The issue now, primarily, Ms. Professor Sharma,
13:43lies also with the constitution of the NTA.
13:48Exactly two things you had to look at it.
13:50It's a very high-profile exam.
13:53You will have to look into some of the nitty-gritty.
13:56You have 24 lakh students appearing.
13:59There is no age limit for appearing in this exam.
14:01So, even a 45, 50-year person can appear
14:05who is running a coaching center,
14:07and he or she fills up the exam form
14:10along with the students he or she is coaching.
14:12So, that person sits there and fuzzles the exam.
14:16Why don't you have three, I mean, age limit for it?
14:20One.
14:21Two.
14:21That, I mean, it's such a high stake.
14:24Why do you have one question for across the country?
14:26I remember I conducted an exam for all India,
14:29the BA test, and I had five different question sets.
14:33The Bengal question paper leaked in Bengal,
14:36and I had no problem,
14:37because all over other parts of the country,
14:40the question paper was different.
14:41Only the difficulty level was identical.
14:45We ensured that the difficulty level
14:46of the question paper should be the same.
14:48The question paper should not be the same.
14:50One.
14:51Two.
14:51You had very highly professional people
14:54setting up exams.
14:56I can tell you that you have people
14:58who are setting and designing the question paper
15:01are not very professional.
15:02That is why this is happening.
15:04How can you have a person who sets the exam?
15:07If you have 140 questions identical on the question paper,
15:10there is somebody who is involved in setting the question paper
15:14and who is leaking.
15:15Now, let me ask you a question.
15:172024, we had similar debate.
15:19I remember Maria doing the debate on India today,
15:22and I was part of it.
15:24Has anybody been punished then?
15:26Is anybody in jail today?
15:29Maria, I remember Maria was so emotional about it.
15:32She was so angry about the whole thing.
15:35Nothing happened.
15:36Nobody is in jail today.
15:39You will have to look at 2024 issue
15:41and decide and assure the country
15:44that somebody will be in jail
15:45for the next 20 years for this thing.
15:48Look, we politicized it.
15:51Just now, Mr. Rahul Gandhi was quoted.
15:53Fair point, sir.
15:53It's not a question of government.
15:55I'm going to come right back to you.
15:56Government don't undertake that.
15:57No lessons learned,
15:58especially with what you're pointing out,
16:00where 2024 is concerned.
16:02Over 20 lakh lives, careers on hold.
16:06I want to bring in two students right now.
16:08I have with me Harshit Thakral.
16:09He's a NEET aspirant from Haasi Haryana.
16:12Harshit, what do you make
16:14and how are you viewing the examination
16:16now that stands cancelled,
16:18a new date will be given?
16:24As a student,
16:25I think the issue today is bigger
16:27than just a re-exam.
16:30It is about credibility
16:33of lacks of student
16:35appeared unnecessarily
16:39and even the possibility
16:41shakes the faith
16:43in the system.
16:46If there was malpractice,
16:48strict action is absolutely necessary.
16:55Basically, you are saying
16:56that this is not only a myth
16:59that there is no myth
16:59which is what you're saying
17:01that just till studying
17:03and how much time you have given,
17:04the rot runs deep
17:05and nobody is held responsible.
17:07Is that what you're saying?
17:09Yes, ma'am.
17:11I want to cut across to somebody
17:13who gave up.
17:14Harsh Mehra
17:14is now a dental student.
17:16He was a NEET aspirant
17:17if you remember in 2024
17:18with all that had gone down
17:20and with all the issues
17:22he decided to give up on NEET.
17:24Harsh, today in 2026
17:26when you look back
17:27nothing has changed,
17:29has it?
17:29kuch nahi badla hai.
17:32Yes, ma'am.
17:33Bilkut kuch nahi badla hai.
17:34Paper leak at mass level.
17:36And this leak is raising
17:38a big question to NTA.
17:39Because this time
17:41NTA said that
17:42be prepared
17:43this is not your school exam.
17:44And this is what
17:45the student got
17:46after this preparation of NTA.
17:48This marks a question
17:50of NTA.
17:51Every year
17:52NTA conducts various exams
17:53at mass level.
17:54Why it can't have exams
17:56without leakage?
17:57I don't know
17:58where is that loop?
17:59Where is that loophole
18:00and why NTA is not able
18:02to find out that loophole?
18:04Last time
18:05when I also meet
18:06an experiment in 2024
18:07that time also
18:08this happened
18:09and similarly now
18:10in 2026
18:11this is happening
18:12it means there is
18:13no change in NTA.
18:16And
18:17no change?
18:18It means
18:18the students
18:20those who have given
18:21the exam very well
18:22they have had a break
18:23of nine days now.
18:24The exam
18:25have been done
18:26prior nine days
18:27and you know
18:28that nine days
18:29break into the study
18:30of a NTA experiment
18:31that will impact
18:32the study.
18:38Fair point.
18:39Akansha Kumari
18:40you were wanting
18:41to give NTA
18:41for this time
18:42you had a lot of
18:43and a lot of
18:44Now
18:44the exam
18:45is cancelled
18:45and the new
18:47dates
18:47will give NTA
18:49and how do
18:50all of you see?
18:53Yes ma'am.
19:23Akansha
19:51Yes, ma'am.
19:57Yes, ma'am.
20:42Yes, ma'am.
20:54Yes, ma'am.
21:53Yes, ma'am.
21:54Yes, ma'am.
22:28Yes, ma'am.
22:45Yes, ma'am.
23:37Yes, ma'am.
23:51Yes, ma'am.
24:08Yes, ma'am.
24:40Yes, ma'am.
25:22Right.
26:21Yes, ma'am.
26:24Yes, ma'am.
27:02Yes, ma'am.
27:28Yes, ma'am.
27:36On one end, Professor Sharma, we can discuss ad nauseum on how collateral in all of this
27:41are these young students, aspirants who've been preparing and how accountability needs
27:47to be fixed.
27:47But invariably, with these paper leaks is also what is happening, Professor Sharma, is how
27:53we are diluting our, you know, the doctors of tomorrow who have come through the system
28:00of paper leaks.
28:01Now, these are aspirants who are MBBS, BSE nursing, BDS, and they can easily pay a sum of money
28:09and get away by appearing for an exam by paying their way through.
28:13This is the quality that we're actually going to get later.
28:18See, I already mentioned that you have made this exam very high end.
28:24I mean, the stakes are so high and you have not fixed the upper ease limit.
28:29Now, that is the reason that your coaching centers are flourishing.
28:33I mean, Maheshwar Perry will definitely disagree with me.
28:36Why are so coaching centers so interested and so involved in this exam?
28:42Because it is their stake as well.
28:44If my students do well this year, next year I will get more students.
28:48So, I need, I mean, I need to say that look, you will have to completely do an analysis of
28:55it and change the whole process. One, two, that coachings are able to do this
29:02because your pattern is known.
29:05When IITs did it, the pattern was not known.
29:08Every year the pattern of question paper was entirely different.
29:11And that is why I have been insisting that you must have professionals who do this
29:16and they must be setting. At the moment it is not.
29:21Professor Sharma, just to tell you, I agree with you, sir.
29:24You should feel happy about it.
29:26Alright, I'm glad, I'm glad both of you agree on that note.
29:29But I want to take a quick comment in from all the NEET aspirants
29:32and the former NEET aspirant that we had and how he was so fed up that he let go of
29:35it.
29:35Akaanshah, if you have my voice now, what do you want Akaanshah?
29:40The NEET is cancelled. The next date, the NTA is saying,
29:44the next date will be given.
29:51Yes, ma'am.
29:54What do you want Akaanshah?
29:57Yes, ma'am.
30:00I think we don't have Akaanshah yet. Harshit Thakral, can you hear me?
30:07Yes, ma'am.
30:08Harshit, what is it that you want right now? What is your demand?
30:16Ma'am, my demand is that I need to approach two months later
30:21so that I can get a good time for preparation.
30:31Yes, ma'am.
30:33Harshit Mehra, now that you look back and you've gone into the dental stream,
30:37now you think it's better that you picked the dental stream?
30:40It's better only that you didn't get stuck in the rut?
30:43Yes, ma'am.
30:45VDS is also a good scope and I'm pursuing my VDS from
30:48Yamanan Institute of Dental Sciences and itself,
30:50that is situated in Yamananagar.
30:52And VDS is also a good scope and I'm pursuing my VDS from
30:54but you could not make it as a second option.
30:58That's what I want to say about VDS.
31:00That is also a very good scope.
31:02But clearly you were fed up with the way things were going earlier.
31:04Thank you all our guests for joining us.
31:07We're gonna keep a keen eye on all developments on this story.
31:16All right, let's cut across to the latest news break that is coming in.
31:19There's been another suspect who's been detained in the NEAT paper leak case.
31:22And this is coming from Rajasthan SIT that's detained a man named Yash Yadav.
31:27And the SIT has departed for Rajasthan,
31:31although Yash's specific role in the paper leak remains unclear.
31:34The fact that the Rajasthan SIT team travelled to Gurugram to take him into custody
31:40and transport him back to Rajasthan suggests the unfolding of a major conspiracy
31:44within this examination leak scandal.
31:48And once again viewers with what we've been discussing,
31:50the epicentre clearly emerging as Rajasthan yet again.
31:58That's the latest news break that we are tracking.
32:00There has been another arrest in the NEAT paper leak case
32:03at the back of which the entire NEAT exam has been cancelled.
32:07Fresh dates to be announced by the National Testing Agency.
32:11But the latest is that the SIT, a special investigative team of the Rajasthan police,
32:18has picked up a youth from Gurugram and taken him back to Rajasthan.
32:25Arvind Doja joins me on the phone line with the latest from that.
32:28But Arvind what more can you add?
39:08as far as the Delhi politics is concerned,
39:11because unless Mr. KC Venu Gopal goes,
39:13you're a new person like Ajay Makan or somebody
39:15cannot step in as General Secretary in charge of organization.
39:18What will they do?
39:19There is no place where they can accommodate KC Venu Gopal.
39:24So, Rashid, I'm not being able to understand that,
39:27you know, for all our viewers who are joining us,
39:30at one end, is it that basically the high command
39:33wants to get rid of KC Venu Gopal
39:35as General Secretary organization
39:36and want to send him to Kerala
39:38because some would suggest that's not really a good idea.
39:41Once the high command tried to impose their will,
39:44we know what went down in Punjab.
39:46So, Priti, actually, high command wants to reward Mr. KC Venu Gopal
39:51for his, you know, role as GSO since 2019
39:54and, you know, get him a hot chair
39:56and a coveted post of Chief Minister in Kerala.
40:00But there is resistance from the ground,
40:02from allies, from within the party
40:04because both Mr. Satishan and Ramesh Janithila have been clear
40:07they will not join that cabinet
40:08and that will be a huge setback.
40:10So, therefore, Rahul Gandhi,
40:12as I said, you know, yesterday,
40:13Rahul Gandhi is caught between this conflict
40:15of rewarding a favorite
40:16and acting, you know, as a Democrat.
40:20So, that is his sort of dilemma.
40:22That is his problem.
40:24All right.
40:25So, that is his dilemma.
40:26KJ Jacob, that's the Delhi view
40:29where the high command is in a bit of a catch-22,
40:33whether to reward KC Venu Gopal
40:37and give him the Chief Ministerial berth
40:39or, you know, at the cost of rubbing allies of the Congress,
40:43not just allies, Mr. Satishan and Mr. Chenithila himself,
40:47the wrong way?
40:49The more they drag the issue,
40:51the more complex it gets.
40:54The problem is that if the high command
40:56really wanted to reward him,
40:57then they would have done it on the second day.
41:00Generally, all the allies go by the decision
41:04of the Congress High Command.
41:05Generally, I mean, even they are not consulted.
41:07The Congress selects its leader
41:09and he'll become the Chief Minister.
41:11Now, what has happened is that, you know,
41:13this has gone to the street.
41:14Now, the Congress High Command consulted the allies.
41:18Now, the allies have to,
41:20they are answerable to their people.
41:23Now, they are also stakeholders now.
41:26So, it's getting more complex now.
41:29A decision which should have been taken by the Congress
41:32now spans out to the entire UDF.
41:36Now, every single ally will have an opinion of its own
41:40and the Congress will have to reconcile
41:42to each and everything of it.
41:44So, the Congress invited an unwanted complex situation
41:49and it's finding it very tough to get out of that.
41:53Now, the ally generally, as I told you yesterday,
41:56the allies generally don't express their opinion
42:00in the public.
42:02Maybe they are consulted.
42:04They are very silent about it in general quotes.
42:08They go by the decision of the Congress.
42:10Now, they have also a stake in it.
42:12They have publicly taken a stand.
42:14Now, what we understand is that the Muslim League
42:18is very angry about it.
42:20I mean, they have been consulted.
42:21Their opinion was sought.
42:23Now, they are not communicated what the decision is.
42:26So, and they are going to hold a meeting tomorrow.
42:28So, it's getting more and more complex.
42:31More murkier.
42:32More complex, more murkier.
42:34But Mr. Kidwai, you know, I want to bring you in on this.
42:37The fact is, some would suggest that the reason why also the high command,
42:40other than just wanting to reward KC Venu Gopal,
42:43also will give him the chief ministerial chair
42:45because most of the MLAs have given his name.
42:48But the, you know, the counter to that is,
42:50especially that is coming in from the local Congress unit,
42:53that KC Venu Gopal was a general secretary organization.
42:56A lot of the tickets were distributed under his watch.
42:59So, the local Congress unit says this is practically rigging
43:02of the polls, where, of course,
43:05if somebody has been given a ticket by Mr. KC Venu Gopal,
43:08he will vote in Mr. KC Venu Gopal,
43:10where the MLAs are concerned.
43:15Yeah.
43:16So, Priti, I think it's much more than the ticket part.
43:18Ticket is one aspect of it.
43:20Then comes the, you know, karcha.
43:21And that is where, you know, a packet also comes from the ICC
43:24and the packet is also many times rooted through GSO.
43:27GSO has a thing that, you know, how much is to be given,
43:30who's a favorite to win and all.
43:31So, I think this money factor also, Priti,
43:34you have to weigh in because that also plays a very,
43:36so loyalty sometimes is, you know,
43:39is earned through these means also in political parties.
43:42That's also playing a role.
43:44By the institution is very grounded person.
43:46So, on the ground, and that is where I think,
43:48as Mr. Jakob is saying,
43:49every passing day is becoming difficult
43:51because the ground voices are becoming louder.
43:53And it will be very difficult for KC Benugopal
43:56to run as Chief Minister
43:58because if the two big leaders are not cooperating with him,
44:01then it will be very difficult.
44:03Well, Mr. Jakob, would you want to weigh in?
44:05Has, you know, Mr. Satishan actually dug in his heels?
44:09Nothing doing.
44:10I'm the most popular.
44:11I've done the hard miles where the state is concerned.
44:13And my name needs to be on the Chief Minister's chair.
44:16Is that what's going down?
44:18That was his legitimate claim.
44:20He is a good strategist.
44:23And he has planned out UDF's plans for the election.
44:27So, he has his claim.
44:29But what is his undoing is the overwhelming noise
44:35that is coming out from the allies.
44:38That is not a great idea that the coronavirus high command can stomach.
44:42Of course, they sought their opinion.
44:44But everybody has now become louder.
44:47And this is not something that the coronavirus high command
44:50is very comfortable with.
44:51Because the Muslim League,
44:53though it has a name Muslim attached to it,
44:56it's a secular party in Kerala,
44:57but it is seen as a communal party outside it.
45:00Even the raising of a flag of the Muslim League
45:03was seen to be the congress appeasing
45:06to the Muslims outside of Kerala.
45:08This has happened all the time.
45:11The Muslim League has been a steadfast ally of the congress
45:13for decades.
45:15It is not seen as a communal party,
45:17but when the scene goes out of Kerala,
45:21the Muslim League becomes a communal party.
45:23Now, the congress can't be seen
45:25as appeasing to the Muslim League now.
45:28So, you're saying there's a catch-22 there as well?
45:31This is the latest problem
45:33the congress are now grappling with.
45:35This would not have been there
45:36if they sought to address it in the first instance.
45:40The results came on Monday.
45:41They could have taken a decision on Tuesday.
45:43This would not have been happening.
45:47As Mr. Gidawai pointed out,
45:49if they really wanted to reward Mr. Verdu Gopal
45:51with the chief minister's post,
45:53they could have definitely imposed it
45:54because the congress legislature party
45:56left it to the congress president.
45:58Right.
45:58And without making everybody involved in the process,
46:02they could have just made the decision
46:03saying this is the choice.
46:05So, you're saying they basically complicated their own lives?
46:08Absolutely.
46:08Absolutely.
46:09This is what has happened.
46:09All right.
46:10You know, I appreciate both of you for joining us.
46:12I'm sure we'll have you again on the show tomorrow
46:14because the congress is nowhere close
46:16of actually deciding on a name there.
46:18We're going to leave it at that.
46:19I'm going to quickly dip into the latest news break
46:21before we go into a break.
46:22And that is coming in
46:23where the cancellation of the NEAT exam is concerned.
46:26The Education Ministry sources have told us
46:28prioritizing student welfare
46:30and the credibility of the examination system.
46:32A historic decision has been taken to reconduct NEAT.
46:36The Education Ministry acted swiftly, sensitively
46:38to ensure transparency and fairness.
46:40As soon as indications of irregularities
46:43in the examination surfaced,
46:44the exam was cancelled without delay
46:46and a CBI inquiry was ordered.
46:49The Education Ministry has clearly stated
46:51that no compromise with the future of students
46:54will take place.
46:55Some will turn it around
46:56because viewers, in 2024,
46:58the Education Ministry had promised each of the points
47:02that today the Education Ministry has promised.
47:05What happened in two years?
47:07Why wasn't action taken?
47:08Why weren't the gaps plugged?
47:09Why wasn't the future of the students
47:11and the younger careers?
47:13We safeguard it.
47:15Food for thought.
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