A motion moved by the TMC and passed through voice vote said, “This House, while strongly condemning the failure of National Testing Agency (NTA) to conduct undergraduate and postgraduate examinations fairly and freely, urges the Government of West Bengal to conduct the JEE for ensuring a robust public healthcare system across the state, particularly in far-fledged rural areas, in public interest.”

The resolution, moved by TMC MLAs Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, Firhad Hakim, Aroop Biswas, Shashi Panja, Chandrima Bhattacharya, Nirmal Ghosh and Ashok Kumar Deb, stated, “Previously for the state quota of undergraduate and postgraduate seats in medical colleges in West Bengal, JEE was conducted by the Joint Entrance Board, which has since been abolished due to the NEET coming into force.”

“The NEET for undergraduate courses is based on the CBSE syllabus and not the syllabus of any state board… The majority of students aspiring for medical and AYUSH seats for undergraduate courses in West Bengal are students appearing in Uchha Madhyamik Examinations under the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Examination,” it said.

Speaking inside the assembly, state Education Minister Bratya Basu said, “In the whole episode, only one person did not comment on the issue, and he is our Prime Minister. What we are saying about the NEET scam is just the tip of the iceberg.”

“All powers were taken away from the hands of the state. As a result, the future of millions of students in the country is in question. We feel that the joint entrance examination should be returned to the state as it was before 2016-17. The State Joint Entrance Board can do this with transparency. Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and other states have already demanded this – the central government should immediately take a decision,” he said.

Opposition BJP MLAs said the TMC is “in no ethical position” to move the resolution, referring to the school jobs scam, in which dozens of TMC leaders had been arrested, that had rocked the state.

BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh alleged, “We had seen more than Rs 50 crore recovered from under the bed of Partha Chatterjee and his friend Arpita Mukherjee. They are now talking about another scam. They have no right to say all these things.”

He added, “The Supreme Court refused to cancel the NET-UGC 2024, saying there is no material to prove systemic breach. After such an observation, how can our assembly move such a motion?”

Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to reinstate JEE in the state.

Live Updates | Click here for Union Budget 2024 announcements by FM Nirmala Sitharaman | New Income Tax changes announced - check here