Chandigarh, July 23, 2026
Former Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar on Thursday urged the youth protesting over the NEET paper leak to remain vigilant and ensure that their movement is not taken over by political interests. He reiterated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is aware of students’ concerns and expressed the government’s commitment to addressing their demands.
Jakhar told the media here that “our children are our pride and the nation’s wealth”. He said the issues raised by the students protesting in Delhi should be resolved through dialogue rather than police intervention.
He acknowledged that disruptive elements often try to exploit large public protests and create disorder but maintained that the police should have exercised more restraint and handled the situation more sensitively.
He added that similar restraint should have been shown during protests by Punjab’s MGNREGA and sanitation workers.
Expressing concern over what he described as the politicisation of the students’ movement, Jakhar said the BJP fully understands the emotions, pain and anguish of students.
He noted that the Prime Minister has already announced a fast‑track court hearing into the NEET paper leak case and that the government remains willing to engage in discussions with students as well as debate the issue in Parliament.
Jakhar further said the Government of India has consistently remained committed to improving medical and technical education.
He said wherever shortcomings exist in the system, the government is continuously working to correct them.
However, he warned students to remain alert because political parties are trying to exploit their movement for their own interests, while disruptive elements could divert their enthusiasm in the wrong direction.
Referring to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal’s presence during protests, Jakhar said people should remember what happened to Anna Hazare’s anti‑corruption movement, arguing that others benefited politically while Hazare himself was sidelined.
He also cautioned that Sonam Wangchuk should not end up becoming a pawn similarly.(Agency)
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