New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has defended the Centre’s response to the nationwide protests over the NEET paper leak controversy, asserting that the government never attempted to suppress student demonstrations and instead respected their democratic right to express their concerns.
Sitharaman said student protests are a natural part of every generation and emphasised that the government’s responsibility was to listen, respond and take corrective action rather than silence dissent.
The Finance Minister said young people have always played an active role in raising issues they believe are important.
Drawing from her own experience as a student at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Sitharaman said every generation has witnessed youth movements driven by a desire to bring about positive change. She added that students expect timely and effective action from the government, and such expectations are both legitimate and necessary in a democracy.
According to Sitharaman, the key responsibility of any government is to understand the concerns behind public protests and respond appropriately. She said governments must remain closely connected to public sentiment and be prepared to act whenever issues affecting citizens arise.
Rejecting suggestions that the government had delayed its response, Sitharaman maintained that authorities never tried to stop the demonstrations. She noted that the required permissions for the protests had been granted and that participants were allowed to continue their agitation peacefully.
Her remarks came a day after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) announced the end of its 36-day protest at Jantar Mantar following the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The minister’s resignation had been one of the principal demands raised by the organisation during the agitation.
Addressing the government’s response to the examination controversy, Sitharaman said immediate action was initiated after allegations of the NEET paper leak surfaced. She said law enforcement agencies arrested those allegedly involved in the illegal sale and purchase of examination papers and initiated legal proceedings against them.
The Finance Minister also stressed that the government had an equally important responsibility to ensure that students did not lose an academic year because of the controversy. She said authorities prioritised conducting the re-examination, declaring the results on time and minimising disruption to students’ educational schedules.
Sitharaman credited the Education Ministry for overseeing the re-examination process and ensuring that academic timelines were maintained. She noted that Dharmendra Pradhan submitted his resignation only after the re-examination had been completed and the results had been announced.
Pradhan, in his resignation letter, stated that he had stepped down to prevent what he described as anti-national elements from exploiting the situation surrounding the protests.
The NEET paper leak controversy has emerged as one of the most significant challenges faced by the education sector in recent years, prompting a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry, nationwide protests and sweeping reforms aimed at strengthening transparency, security and accountability in India’s competitive examination system.
