Not one word of empathy for students: Dia Mirza reacts to PM's midnight message
Dia Mirza has reacted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's late-night address on the NEET paper leak. Her reaction sharpened the debate over empathy, accountability and reform in the examination system.
Actor Dia Mirza criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation over the NEET paper leak, saying his remarks lacked empathy for the students and families affected by the crisis.
Hours after the Prime Minister's video message on Thursday night, Dia shared a strongly worded note on Instagram expressing disappointment over his response.
"Not one word of empathy for the parents who have lost their children, for the children who have died, for the incredible resilience of students demanding their rights, for Sonamji and the students who were on a hunger strike for weeks. How hard can it be Sir?" she wrote.
The actor also questioned the delay in the Prime Minister's response, adding, "It took 47 days for you to say something. And now that you have, you have said nothing. Nothing that can heal the millions of hearts that are broken."
Dia Mirza's post received support from several social media users. One Instagram user wrote, "You the best! Thanks for calling it out!(sic)." Another commented, "Hell yes. Thanks for seeing it through. & what bothers me is that all these celebrities and people are believing that message? They just want to get back to regular business (sic)."
A third user wrote, "Thank you for your support to students since the very beginning Dia ma'am @diamirzaofficial Respect to you for raising your voice & standing with your values! You inspire all of us! (sic)."
PM's midnight message
Prime Minister Modi, in a nearly three-minute video message posted at 11.52 pm on Thursday, said examination paper leaks had caused "immense pain" to lakhs of students and their parents. He announced that the Union Cabinet would discuss a draft law on Friday to introduce fast-track courts and stricter punishment for those involved in paper leak cases. He also said the government would make every effort to pass the proposed legislation during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament.
Calling the issue "not a minor one", the Prime Minister said the government's immediate priority after the NEET paper leak was to ensure that students did not lose an academic year.
Dia Mirza has been among several film personalities who have voiced support for students protesting over the NEET irregularities and demanding education reforms. Her latest post came as the debate over accountability and reforms in the examination system continues to gather momentum.