While the Central government had refuted to consider the concerns of students and desired to put forth the national entrance exams - JEE and NEET before the nationwide outcry of demanding to defer the examinations in the wake of fear, challenge, and mental distress endured by the students due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the nationwide voice has been going high after the national leaders join students and demanding for the postponement. 

The National Testing Agency (NTA), which schedules and conducts the national entrance exams, has scheduled to conduct JEE- Mains (Joint Entrance Examination) from September 1 to 6 and NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) on September 13 and though the agency had started the issuance of the admit cards for both the exams, students across the nation have been unitedly calling to defer the exams.

The National leaders had sent their solidarity and extended their voice of support to the students. On Wednesday, Congress Interim President Sonia Gandhi has convened the opposition party meeting in which the call for deferring JEE and NEET was on the top of the fray. The opposition party meeting had come a day after the NTA had refused to change the exam schedule by highlighting the order of the Supreme Court that was penned by rejecting the petition to postpone the exams. 

In the meeting, Sonia Gandhi charged the Center over conducting the exams and stated that the government doesn't care about students. The Congress leader was addressing at a virtual meeting which was attended by the Chief Ministers of seven states to frame the opposition response against the Center to defer the entrance exams. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who attended the meeting, had suggested approaching the Supreme Court again to defer the exams in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Banerjee cited that she had written two letters to the Prime Minister to seek postponement of the exams and she put out her suggestion as to her request to all the state governments to approach the apex court to defer the exams until the situation allows students to appear for the exams. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had supported Mamata Banerjee's call to approach the top court while most of the Chief Ministers including Puducherry's Narayanasamy, Jharkhand's Hemant Soren, and Rajasthan's Ashok Gehlot had raised similar concerns that students are not ready for exams. 

According to the reports, the Congress party has decided to hold protests at the state and the district head offices on Friday - August 28 to demand the Center to postpone the exams. Along with the Congress, notable national leaders like Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had appealed to the Center urging it to postpone the exams by citing that the government is playing with the lives of millions of students by conducting the JEE and NEET exams. 

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi had demanded the government to listen to the students on NEET and JEE as they have genuine concerns. He said that the JEE and NEET aspirants are worried about their health and future and feared of COVID-19 infection, transport and lodging during the pandemic and floods in Assam and Bihar and urged to find an amicable solution. 

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal had also lent his support for students and demanded to postpone the exams immediately. Maharashtra state minister Aditya Thackeray had written to the Prime Minister urging to defer the entrance exams. DMK President MK Stalin, BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, West Bengal Mamata Banerjee, Bollywood Actor Sonu Sood had joined the nationwide call and appealed to the Center to defer the exams and not to risk the lives of students. 

Along with the national leaders, the students had got solidarity from the international activists where 17-year-old Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg said its deeply unfair to ask students to attend exams during the pandemic. Thunberg asserted that she stands with the call of the Indian students to postpone the JEE and NEET exams. American climate activist Jamie Margolin said that this move of the Central government is putting students in danger during the pandemic and stated that she stands with the students of India. 

Amid the national and international call to defer the national exams,  the Center has been signaling that there would be no turn back and would go ahead with its decision of conducting the exams despite the outcries and demands across the nation. Earlier this month, the Union Home Ministry highlighted the Supreme Court's judgment that the university and entrance exams could take place by citing the academic interests of the students. The Ministry stated that the permission has been given to the University Grants Commission (UGC) to conduct exams, following which the body has fully prepared to conduct the exams. 

According to the latest reports, the Chief Ministers of seven non-BJP ruling states have on Wednesday decided to approach the Supreme Court to postpone the exams, with just days away from the commencement of the exams. Taking their protests to the next level, the students across the country are planning to protest from their homes on Thursday -August 27 with the demand to defer the exams. According to the reports, from 8 am on Thursday, the students across the country who are eligible to appear for exams are prepared to raise black flags from homes, wear black masks, tie black bands on arm or forehead, and turn their profile pictures black to show their opposition to the Central government which negates to hear their requests and concerns. 

Must-read: 'I stand with their call'- Greta Thunberg sends solidarity to Indian students to defer JEE and NEET!