Mumbai, June 29 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Maharashtra Legislative Council on Monday was adjourned for nearly half an hour after Opposition members created an uproar over the alleged leak of the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) question paper, intensifying pressure on the state government over repeated examination-related controversies.
Raising the issue in the Upper House, Ambadas Danve of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) questioned the government's failure to prevent another leak of an examination paper despite the recent NEET-UG Examination Controversy.
Demanding a discussion under Rule 289, Danve alleged that large-scale irregularities involving crores of rupees had become frequent in the conduct of competitive examinations across the state.
He said there were irregularities worth crores of rupees, and that paper leaks were recurring. If the government cannot conduct examinations properly, the Education Minister should resign, Danve said in the House.
Referring to the earlier NEET controversy, Danve said Maharashtra, particularly Pune, had emerged as a major centre of the investigation, with multiple arrests made in connection with the case. Despite that experience and the heightened security arrangements during NEET, he questioned why the state failed to put in place adequate safeguards for the TET examination held on June 28.
He alleged that the latest paper leak had surfaced in Bhiwandi and claimed several individuals were involved, raising suspicions of a wider organised racket operating in the state's examination system.
Danve said the examination is meant to select qualified teachers. If even such exams are compromised, the government must take responsibility, he added, saying that failure to conduct an examination involving nearly six lakh candidates reflected serious administrative lapses.
Joining the Opposition attack, Satej Patil said conducting examinations without irregularities was the government's responsibility, while Congress leader Jayant Asgaonkar demanded an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation. Congress MLA Dhiraj Lingade said the incident reflected the collapse of the country's education system, while NCP (SP) MLA Arun Lad argued that repeated paper leaks had become common due to the absence of strict legal safeguards.
Earlier, launching a scathing attack on the state government, the Opposition staged a walkout to protest the recurring paper leaks in crucial examinations like NEET and TET, saying they had severely tarnished Maharashtra's nationwide reputation.
The Opposition demanded the suspension of question hour to debate the paper leaks. As the assembly proceedings commenced, opposition members moved an adjournment motion, demanding an immediate discussion of the systemic failure to ensure examination integrity.
Addressing the house, Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar highlighted the immense emotional and financial toll on aspirants.
He said lakhs of students and teachers spend years working hard to prepare for these examinations. However, continuous paper leaks were completely washing away their hard work. The government must answer to the people of Maharashtra as to why it repeatedly fails to conduct these exams transparently, Wadettiwar said.
He further claimed that the recurring paper leaks had created a deep sense of insecurity among millions of students and educators.
Source: IANS
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