New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday asked the Centre to listen to students before taking any further decision regarding the future of students.

In a video message which the Congress party tweeted, Sonia Gandhi said, “My dear students I feel for you because you are now facing a very difficult situation. The issue of your exams of when they should be taken up and where is the most important for you and also your family.”

“You are our future. We depend on you to build a better India. Therefore if any decision has to be taken regarding your future, it is important that it is being taken with your concurrence,” the Congress president said.

Students are our future, we depend on them to build a better India, therefore, if any decision has to be taken regarding their future it is important that it is taken with their concurrence.: Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi #SpeakUpForStudentSafety pic.twitter.com/Jf18cmykbd

— Congress (@INCIndia) August 28, 2020

“I hope the government listens to you and your voices and act upon your wishes. This is my advice to the government,” she added.

Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal on Friday joined the protest by the party’s student wing National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) in Delhi against the Centre’s decision to conduct JEE and NEET in September and demanded that the Centre postpone the examinations in view of COVID-19.

He said the government needs to consider the safety of the students before finalising the date of the examination.

The Congress general secretary told ANI, “We are sharing the sentiments of the student community of India. We want the safety of students. In northern rural areas students have to travel long distances to reach the centre. Will the government ensure accessibility or safety?”

“The government needs to consider the matter before finalising the date. A responsible government should at least hear out the students and parents. The students don’t want to lose a year. The government can fix a convenient date after 1-2 months with all safety measures and assign exam centres in each district to decrease the load,” he added.

On Thursday, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank had said that the safety and future of the students were the topmost priority with regard to holding the Joint Entrance Exams (JEE) and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

He had added that several steps including the increase in the number of exam centres had been taken.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) is scheduled to conduct the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) 2020 [NEET] on September 13 and Joint Entrance Examination Main [JEE] on September 1-6.