Kolkata: Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday said that the decision taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to establish fast-track courts for paper leak cases will act as “a decisive blow to crush the paper leak mafia”.Adhikari on his X handle said, “This will ensure swift and stringent justice and would be effective in protecting the hard work of millions of talented students. Playing with the future of our youth is an unforgivable act of crime and Modi Ji’s govt’s Zero-Tolerance Policy against such crime will ensure that no culprit will go unpunished.”Several student organisations including SFI, have called for a rally along with a nationwide students’ strike on Friday. Meanwhile, BJP on Thursday launched a nationwide counter-offensive, accusing opposition-backed groups of using the issue to foment unrest and pursue an “anti-national agenda”. In Kolkata the party held a press conference to warn that any attempt to disturb law and order in the state would be dealt with firmly.BJP netas argued that the “lapse” which led to the question paper leak is being dealt with unprecedented firmness. State minister Tapas Roy said that the govt had taken tough action and was committed to strengthening the country’s education system.Alleging that the agitation in Delhi had gone far beyond the issue of NEET, Roy said, “the central govt has taken stricter action after the paper leak than we have ever seen before. Yet attempts are being made to create unrest. The kind of situation that was engineered in parts of South Asia is now being attempted here. Foreign funds are allegedly flowing in to fuel these activities. If anyone tries to create a similar situation in Bengal, we will not allow it. The police and administration are fully alert,” he said.Roy demanded that cases of question paper leaks under previous Congress and other non-BJP govts should also be examined. “Two months back, the people of Bengal were saved from a disaster. I urge them to foil this conspiracy too. We will not allow anyone to create fresh unrest,” he said.Responding to the proposed CJP and SFI demonstrations on Friday, Roy said, “Anyone is free to hold a peaceful protest. But if there is any attempt to create unrest from such demonstrations, the govt will take whatever action is necessary.”Bengal BJP spokesperson Debjit Sarkar said that the agitation no longer had any connection with the NEET controversy. He alleged that protesters were creating a ruckus by setting vehicles on fire. “What does any of this have to do with a student movement or the NEET paper leak?” he asked.
