Mumbai, August 24: Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Aaditya Thackeray wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, seeking his intervention to defer the exams of NEET UG and JEE Main. The Shiv Sena leader called the Education Ministry's decision to hold exams amid the COVID-19 pandemic as infeasible and impractical.

Thackeray appealed the Indian PM to take cognisance of the plight of students, who are battling mental stress amid the health crisis. At a time when COVID-19 cases are still increasing, students appearing for exams will pose a major risk to their safety, he said.

See Letter Written by Thackeray to PM Modi

"While most of our country is still working from home due to increasing Covid numbers, various institutions and universities for professional and non-professional courses have been trying to schedule examinations," added Thackeray, who heads the youth wing of Maharashtra ruling Shiv Sena.

"This isn’t a practical and feasible option sir, as most states are facing increasing numbers of Covid, along with red zones still in place and transport yet to resume," Thackeray further added.

A similar letter seeking postponement of examinations was written to the Prime Minister by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee and BJP MP Subramanian Swamy.

The NEET UG exams are scheduled to be held on September 13, whereas, the JEE Main exam would be held between September 1 to 6. Lakhs of students are registered to appear for the entrance tests that would be held across thousands of examination centres.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 24, 2020 08:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).