Opposition steps up attack on Centre over NEET-UG leak, demands accountability
Rahul Gandhi questioned PM Modi over repeated NEET paper leaks as Opposition leaders demanded Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation
The NEET-UG 2026 paper leak has triggered a political storm, with several Opposition leaders demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The controversy erupted after NEET-UG 2026 was cancelled following allegations that the examination paper had been compromised, and has since emerged as a major flashpoint in national politics.
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Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday (May 17) intensified his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue and questioned why the minister had not been removed from his post.
Rahul escalates NEET attack
In a post on X, Rahul drew a comparison between the handling of the 2024 and 2026 NEET paper leak cases and asked PM Modi to respond to the questions being raised across the country. “NEET 2024: The paper leaked. The exam was not cancelled. The minister did not resign. The CBI began an investigation. A committee was set up. NEET 2026: The paper leaked. The exam was cancelled. The minister still did not resign. The CBI is once again investigating. Another committee will be constituted,” the Congress leader said.
“Modiji, the nation has a few questions for you — please answer them! Why do paper leaks keep happening repeatedly? Why are you silent on this recurring ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’? Why have you not removed the education minister who is failing again and again?” he added.
Rahul had earlier questioned the Centre over the growing number of suicides linked to the NEET paper leak controversy. Referring to the death of a 21-year-old student in Uttar Pradesh who allegedly died by suicide after the exam cancellation, he said, “These youngsters did not lose to the exams; they were killed by a corrupt system. This is not suicide — it is murder by the system.”
Opposition mounts pressure
Taking a swipe at Modi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said he must hold a “pariksha leaks pe charcha (discussion on exam leaks)”, asserting that mere silence will achieve nothing.
“Under the Modi government, the ‘Amrit Kaal’ is proving to be ‘Mrit Kaal’ for students preparing for recruitment examinations," Kharge said in a post in Hindi on X.
“According to reports, several students have committed suicide due to the trauma caused by the NEET paper-leak scandal. Some had harboured this dream since childhood; others staked everything on fulfilling their families' expectations, spending years in preparation. Yet, the Modi government’s corrupt and incompetent system has trampled upon their dreams,” he said.
The criticism has also extended beyond the Congress party. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey demanded Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over the alleged paper leak. According to ANI, Dubey alleged that the government had failed to maintain transparency and fairness in one of India’s most important entrance examinations, and said students were repeatedly bearing the brunt of administrative negligence.
BJP rejects Rahul’s remarks
On the other hand, the BJP has termed Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on the NEET paper leak case as “extremely unfortunate, insensitive”, and asked the Congress leader not to play petty politics on the issue.
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BJP national media co-incharge Sanjay Mayukh accused Rahul of spreading confusion by making baseless allegations to exploit the “tragic situation” to serve his own political agenda. “The statement made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding the NEET paper leak case is extremely unfortunate, insensitive and politically motivated. He should abandon the politics of confusion and first introspect,” the BJP leader said in a statement.
The National Testing Agency on Tuesday cancelled NEET-UG 2026, which had been held on May 3, after investigators found evidence that multiple questions resembling those in the examination paper had been circulated ahead of the test. The government subsequently transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation, while the examination is now scheduled to be reconducted on June 21.