Maharashtra Nirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Wednesday said students from Maharashtra should be given priority over their counterparts from other states in the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) medical entrance examination, failing which his party would “keep an eye” on outside students.
Virtually handing a threat to the State Government, Raj said, “The students of Maharashtra should be given priority in the NEET medical entrance examination. However, if students from other States are given priority over our local students, then the MNS will keep an eye on such students. If you think this is a threat, so be it”.
“We have nothing against outside students. All we are saying is that the students born in Maharashtra should be given priority. If there are still vacancies after giving preference to the local students, then the authorities can consider letting outside students to appear for NEET examinations from Maharashtra,” Raj said.
Talking to mediapersons in Pune after meeting a delegation of parents of students appearing for the NEET medical entrance examination, the MNS chief said: “Every year students are put considerable hardships. My question is whether students from Maharashtra will ever get priority…the students who appeared for the 10th and 12th standard examination should be given priority. A similar policy exists in other states wherein their students get priority. Why can’t such a policy prevail in MaharashtraIJ”
Hitting out Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for being “silent” over matters relating to “injustice” being done students wanting to appear for NEET exams, Raj said, “Our students are being denied by special privileges from the State Government. The State Government is turning blind eye to the grievances of our students. The CM has nothing to offer except silence as the State Government is run by the Centre.”
Citing the example of Tamil Nadu, where an MP moved the court against the errors in NEET exam papers, and the court granted four marks each as compensation, Raj asked: “And look at our elected representativesIJ”