NEET Issue: ‘Omar Should Know How NC Disempowered JK,’ says Akhtar

KL NEWS NETWORK

SRINAGAR

Ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Wednesday said that the government took “immediate action” on National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) decision of the Supreme Court by filing a prompt application against the applicability of the order to the state.

“When the Supreme Court judgment came on April 28, the state government filed immediately, without delay and perhaps in record time, an application that the decision does not extend to the state as in Jammu and Kashmir education is a state subject. We pleaded the BOPEE exams have to be conducted as before in our case,” Minister for Education Naeem Akhtar told KNS.

Opposition National Conference working president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah had on Tuesday condemned the “lack of seriousness” shown by the PDP-BJP Government in taking timely action to prevent the extension of National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) to J&K.

Akhtar said that the state’s plea would not have come before the decision of the apex court, and the application was filed on April 30 and the state chose senior advocates to plead the case in Supreme Court.

Senior advocates including former Attorney General of India Gopal Subramanium and senior advocate K Vishwanathan are appearing for the State apart from Advocate General D C Raina. BOPEE chairman GH Tantray and Commissioner Secretary Law Muhammad Ashraf Mir are putting up with the law team in New Delhi. The hearing is slated for tomorrow.

“NEET was taken as the most important case and we have senior most lawyers representing us,” the minister said.

On the NC’s accusations that the NEET goes against the spirit and essence of J&K’s special status, Akhtar said that Omar Abdullah should know “as to how” National Conference has brought Article 370 to its present condition and has “disempowered the state.”

“Omar Abdullah should know how during his chief ministership he surrendered the last vestige of financial independence of the state,” he said, adding that “PDP sees the NEET issue beyond partisan politics.”