Non-BJP Chief Ministers’ Meet: Modi Government Under Attack on JEE/NEET Exams, GST, and Other Issues

– By Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, August 26: The Narendra Modi government at the centre came under heavy attack at a virtual meeting of the non-BJP chief ministers on a wide-range of issues including its alleged stubbornness to hold JEE and NEET examinations despite the deteriorating COVID situation and “refusal” to compensate the states on GST as promised.

The virtual meeting convened by the Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi ended with the resolve by the opposition chief ministers to “unitedly fight” against the BJP government at the centre on issues that threatened to damage the federal structure of the country. The suggestion to this effect by the Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray saying that “we will have to work together and fight together,” received strong support from his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Bannerjee and Mrs Gandhi among others.

While Bannerjee asked all the opposition CMs to jointly approach the Supreme Court for the postponement of the JEE and NEET examinations the central government has scheduled to hold in September, her Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren marginally differed suggesting that they should approach the prime minister or the president seeking postponement of the examinations till the COVID situation improved to allow holding of the exams. In a bid mount pressure on the Modi government Bannerjee wanted the non-BJP CMs to jointly approach the apex court pointing out that she had written several times to the prime minister suggesting that the centre should approach the apex court with a review petition for the postponement of the JEE and NEET examinations but received no response.

The Supreme Court had in the last week refused to entertain a plea seeking postponement of JEE and NEET, scheduled to be held in September, saying that “life cannot be stopped” and the “career of students cannot be put in jeopardy”. Following this, the union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal had reiterated that both the exams would be held next month as per schedule.

Besides Bannerjee and Soren among others to attend the meeting were the Congress chief ministers of Punjab Amarinder Singh, Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel, Puducherry V Narayanasamy and some others.

Sonia Gandhi while accusing the central government of “uncaringly dealing” the issues concerning the students, also attacked the National Education Policy declared by the Modi government recently. She felt that the new policy was a “setback” to secular and scientific values. “Announcements such as those related to the National Education Policy should really worry us as it is actually a setback. Other problems of students and exams are also being dealt uncaringly,” she said at the meeting.

Hitting out the Modi government over “attacks on the federal structure”, Bannerjee said states were being bulldozed by the BJP-led Central government. “The situation today…We cannot speak out, we cannot speak freely…from Facebook to everywhere…there is fake news, distorted news to destroy those in the opposition,” Banerjee said. Echoing the sentiment, Soren said the ruling party was using agencies against the Opposition and undermining federal structure.

Asserting that “all powers are now getting concentrated in one hand”, Uddhav Thackeray said, “First we will have to decide darna hain ki ladna hain…ladna hain to ladna hain..we have to protect federalism.”

With the GST council scheduled to meet on Thursday, Sonia Gandhi said refusal to compensate states on GST was nothing short of betrayal by the Modi government. Referring to the meeting of the parliamentary standing committee of finance on August 11 which was reportedly bluntly told by the union finance secretary that the centre was in no position to pay the mandatory 14 per cent GST compensation to the states for the current year, Gandhi said it was “nothing short of betrayal on part of  the Modi government.”

Bannerjee pointed out that the West Bengal government was yet to get Rs 53,000 crore from the Centre. “We can not talk. They are using the agencies against us,” she said. Amarinder Singh said with the Covid-19 situation getting worse, the finances of states were completely down. “We’ve spent nearly Rs 500 crores. We’re in a situation where the finances of our states are completely down. Centre has not paid GST compensation,” he said.

Reiterating her party’s opposition to the draft environment impact assessment (EIA) notification, 2020, Sonia Gandhi called it anti-democratic and accused the Modi government of weakening laws to protect environment and public health. “Ordinances have been issued without consulting states on agricultural markets. Draft EIA deeply anti-democratic. Public sector assets created over decades are being sold off,” she said.

The draft EIA notification, which involves the procedure of issuing environmental clearances to various projects, was issued by the Environment Ministry in March this year on which the government has received thousands of suggestions from the public.