Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday, 17 May appealed to National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) aspirants not to take extreme steps, as reports of student distress and depression mounted following the cancellation of the medical entrance examination. The appeal came after reports emerged of four students allegedly dying by suicide — in Goa, Sikar (Rajasthan), Delhi, and Lakhimpur (Uttar Pradesh) — reportedly linked to anxiety over the NEET controversy.

Kejriwal's Direct Appeal to Students

In a video message shared on social media platform X, Kejriwal urged students to reach out to him directly. 'Right now, reports are coming in from all sides. We are receiving a lot of messages and phone calls from students saying that many children are in depression because of the cancellation of the NEET exam,' he said.

'They (students) are under stress. My request to all students is: please do not take such extreme steps. I understand your anxiety,' he added. The AAP Convenor invited students to share their feelings through comments or direct messages, assuring them, 'I will get in touch with you, and together we will find a solution.'

Kejriwal Draws on Personal Experience

The former Delhi Chief Minister sought to connect with students by recalling his own experience with high-stakes examinations. 'I too have appeared for IIT exams and UPSC exams. I know the kind of stress we go through while preparing for exams, appearing for them, and coming back after writing the paper,' he said.

He added that he had reflected on how he would have coped had a similar cancellation occurred during his own student years — underscoring the gravity of what current aspirants are experiencing.

Call for Collective Reform of NEET

Beyond the immediate welfare appeal, Kejriwal called for broader, collective efforts to address systemic issues with the NEET examination process. 'All of you are educated and sensible people. We will together figure out how to fix NEET. Please send me your suggestions and solutions as well. Let us solve this together,' he said.

He stressed that suicide and extreme actions were not a solution and that stakeholders must work together to resolve the crisis. This comes amid a wider national controversy over the NEET exam cancellation, which has triggered political debate across party lines and drawn attention to the mental health pressures faced by millions of medical aspirants in India.

Context: NEET Cancellation and Student Distress

The cancellation of the NEET examination this cycle has left hundreds of thousands of students in uncertainty about their medical admissions. The exam is the sole gateway to undergraduate medical and dental colleges across India, making its disruption particularly consequential. Advocacy groups and mental health professionals have flagged the acute psychological toll such disruptions place on aspirants, many of whom prepare for years under intense pressure.

As political parties respond to the crisis, the focus now shifts to what concrete steps — regulatory, administrative, or welfare-oriented — the government and opposition will take to address both the immediate distress and the structural vulnerabilities in the examination system.