Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP Natioonal President Nitin Nabin leave after the 'Mangal Milan' meeting at GMC Balayogi Auditorium in the Parliament Library Building, in New Delhi, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. Photo: PTI
Strong action taken to ensure no one plays with future of youth: PM to NDA MPs on NEET paper leak issue
Addressing NDA MPs after massive student protests in Delhi, PM Modi urged states to join hands with Centre, declaring the issue a matter of national interest
Strong action has been taken against those involved in the NEET paper leaks so that no one plays with the future of the youth, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (July 21).
Talking at a meeting of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) MPs in Delhi, he also asked states to join hands with the Centre to tackle the menace in national interest.
His remarks come a day after thousands of students led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) took part in the 'Sansad Chalo' march against irregularities in the NEET exam and to demand education minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.
PM Modi on paper leaks
Briefing journalists after the meeting, which was named 'Mangal Milan', Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the prime minister told MPs that the government acted immediately after reports of the paper leak surfaced, and 13 people were arrested and sent to jail.
"At the same time, the prime minister said, to ensure that students' future was not affected, the NEET re-examination was given priority, conducted successfully, and the results were declared without delay," Rijiju said after the hour-long meeting.
He said the prime minister also said that strict steps have been taken to prevent such paper leaks in the future.
Also read: Why CJP’s protest stands apart from previous mass movements
Modi told the NDA MPs that those found involved in the paper leak racket have been arrested and jailed.
Strict punishment
The prime minister also told the ruling alliance's MPs that those guilty in paper leaks should be given the strictest possible punishment, with the support of the country's top lawyers, so that those involved in such a grave offence face exemplary action and such incidents do not recur.
Also read: Delhi's student uprising: Did Centre misread the mood?
"The prime minister said strong action has been taken to ensure that no one plays with he future of youth. The prime minister also said that to ensure that no future paper leaks take place, all state governments and the Centre must join hands irrespective of party. This is not a matter of party politics but matter of national interests," Rijiju said.
(With agency inputs)