Addressing a press conference in Dharamsala, Sharma said the NEET paper leak had shattered the dreams of students who had spent years preparing for the examination while staying away from home, with many of their families taking on additional financial burden for it.
He said nearly 24 lakh students across the country had appeared for the NEET examination — including around 32,000 from Himachal Pradesh; and over 6,000 from Kangra district alone.
Around 2,000 students from Dharamsala had appeared for the examination.
“Students study day and night for years with the dream of qualifying NEET. Parents sacrifice everything for their children’s future. When such an examination gets leaked and later cancelled, it causes immense mental stress and disappointment among students,” Sharma said.
Alleging the involvement of organised mafias in paper leaks across the country, he demanded a transparent probe into the matter under the supervision of a Supreme Court Judge.
He said strict action should be taken against all those involved in the scam.
Sharma alleged that several competitive examinations had witnessed paper leaks under BJP rule, raising serious questions over the system’s credibility.
He criticised BJP leaders for “remaining silent” on the NEET controversy during a recent press conference in Dharamsala. “It is not an issue of any political party, but of students and their future. BJP leaders should answer why such scams happen under their government,” he said.
Speaking on the ongoing municipal corporation election campaign, Sharma accused BJP workers of attempting to influence voters through inducements and distribution of money.
He claimed that the Congress was receiving strong public support in Dharamsala and Palampur, and expressed confidence that the party would form municipal corporations in both towns.
Meanwhile, former Dharamsala Mayor Devinder Singh Jaggi criticised the BJP’s vision document for the municipal corporation polls, calling it a “bundle of false promises”.
Jaggi alleged that the BJP manifesto failed to address basic civic issues such as poor roads and ineffective waste management systems in various wards of the city.
He questioned the functioning of smart dustbins installed during the BJP government’s tenure, and said the party had ignored core development issues affecting residents. Jaggi said the Congress would release its own manifesto for the Dharamsala Municipal Corporation elections on Wednesday.
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