'First it hurt me, later I took advantage': Sitharaman's paper leak remarks spark political row

NEW DELHI: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has come under fire over her remarks on the NEET paper leak controversy after she said some students had used the additional time before the re-examination to improve their performance. The remarks drew sharp criticism from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and Opposition leaders, who accused her of being "insensitive" to students impacted by the alleged leaks.Speaking to news agency ANI, Sitharaman defended the government's handling of the paper leak controversy, saying its response had ensured timely arrests, re-examinations and declaration of results.Sitharaman said the government's response included timely arrests, a re-examination and prompt declaration of results. She said some students had used the additional preparation time to imp