Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge has responded to criticism over reports of students missing the NEET re-examination in Bengaluru, stating that the state government had already issued a traffic advisory and put systems in place to help candidates reach examination centres.
Speaking on the issue, Kharge said Bengaluru’s traffic congestion is a well-known challenge and authorities had proactively issued warnings to avoid last-minute travel issues.
He said, “Bangalore always has a huge mobility problem. That is a known fact. That is why we had issued a traffic advisory. You should blame us if we had not issued a traffic advisory or if we had been lazing around. We have issued a traffic advisory, and there is a dedicated helpline, and thousands of people wrote the exam.”
Acknowledging that even one student missing the exam was unfortunate, he added that responsibility could not be entirely placed on the administration.
He said, “Yes, even one person missing out is a bad thing. It’s unfortunate. But how can I be held responsible for a student who has not taken the right hall ticket? Can I be held responsible for one of the students who did not take the right bus from Magadi? Whatever it is, we are sympathetic. But if you want to play politics, we are ready for that also.”
In a separate remark, Kharge also took a political swipe, accusing critics of focusing more on his father and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge than on their own party leadership. He questioned internal party conduct and made pointed remarks about political hypocrisy, further escalating the political exchange in Karnataka.
