Dharwad: As the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) is in news for not allowing Kannada students to write examination in Kannada language on par with other regional languages, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has criticised the Centre in this regard terming its move an insult to the people of Karnataka.

“Though the exam can be written in Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu writing it in Kannada was not allowed which is an injustice meted out to us,” said a party release issued by Dharwad unit media coordinator Avinash Sadanand.

“Karnataka has 50 medical colleges and over 7,000 seats are available. Nearly 53 per cent of the students from the State write their Class 10 exam in Kannada and they will be at a disadvantage if Kannada was excluded. The people of Karnataka have elected 17 MPs from the BJP who are least bothered about the issue and are busy playing a blame game,” the release said.

All other states had sent their proposals to the Centre seeking permission to allow students to write NEET in their languages. Karnataka has not sent the letter. It is reportedly lying with the Medical Education Department due to the irresponsibility of Minister for Medical Education, it said. The party asked him to resign from his post taking moral responsibility for ruining the lives and aspirations of thousands of students.

The party demanded that Karnataka boycott NEET this year and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ensure that the exam was not allowed to be held if permission was not given to write it in Kannada.