'They want to divert the issue from the kingpin...': Tejashwi Yadav hits back at BJP on NEET UG 2024 paper leak issue

A political dispute has erupted in Bihar over the NEET 'paper leak' controversy, with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing each other of connections to the prime suspects. BJP claimed that one of the main suspects, Sikander Prasad Yadvendu, has ties to Tejashwi Yadav's personal secretary. In response, RJD countered by sharing a photo of another accused, Amit Anand, with Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav defended his personal secretary, stating that the BJP is trying to shift focus away from the 'masterminds' behind the NEET controversy.

“The INDIA alliance is united on this issue. We want the NEET exam to be immediately cancelled…They (BJP) have all the investigation agencies, they can call the PS or PA anyone for a probe…They want to divert the issue from the kingpin…Those who want to drag my name or my PA’s name, this will not benefit anyone…The engineer who is talked about could be a beneficiary but Amit Anand and Nitish Kumar are the masterminds of the paper leak. The people of the country know that whenever BJP comes to power, then paper leaks happen.”

The official RJD handle also posted a picture showing Deputy CM Choudhary allegedly being felicitated by the accused.

“The main accused in the NEET exam paper leak scam with the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar,” RJD said in the post.

“The so called powerful minister who was felicitated by the accused has deleted all his photos with him from his social media handles, but don’t worry, we have them all. Send this to your worried counterparts the other Deputy Chief Minister,” the party added.

This follows a statement by Bihar's other Deputy CM, Vijay Kumar Sinha, who claimed on Thursday that one of the arrested accused, an engineer, is connected to Tejashwi Yadav's personal secretary. Sinha called for an investigation, alleging that the official maintained regular contact with Sikander Prasad Yadvendu, the main accused in the case.

“The official associated with Yadav used to arrange accommodation for Sikandar at guest houses in Patna and other places. I have details of messages which the official had sent to the persons concerned for arranging accommodation for Sikandar,” the deputy chief minister said.

He stated that he possessed the mobile number from which those messages were sent.

“It needs to be thoroughly probed. Why is the RJD leader (Tejashwi Prasad) maintaining a stoic silence on this?” Sinha said.

Last month, the Economic Offences Wing of Bihar Police arrested 13 people in connection with an alleged paper leak in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate), NEET-UG 2024. Those arrested included six individuals involved in examination malpractice, four students, and three parents.