Congress on Wednesday demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the cancellation of the NEET-UG examination and called for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into what it described as a 'paper leak scandal'.
Congress Youth Wing and NSUI Leaders Demand Action
Congress Youth wing president Uday Bhanu Chib and NSUI chief Vinod Jakhar made the demand at a press conference at the party headquarters. They also said the government should compensate students affected by the cancellation of the exam.
Chib said the NEET paper leak was a serious issue and claimed that exam leaks have been a repeated problem over the years. 'Over the last 10 years, 89 papers have been leaked, and re-examinations have been conducted 48 times. This implies that the government has completely abdicated its accountability towards the students,' he said.
He said students spend months preparing for competitive exams and suffer when such incidents take place. 'If we were to put ourselves in the shoes of these students, perhaps we would be able to truly feel their pain. Students prepare diligently and sit for these exams, but when a paper gets leaked, they lose their faith in the system,' he added.
Attack on BJP and Prime Minister Modi
The Youth Congress president also attacked the ruling BJP, linking the issue to wider governance concerns. 'The BJP claims that Prime Minister Narendra Modi can halt a war between two nations; yet, the reality is that he is not even able to prevent paper leaks,' he said.
He also raised questions on the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA), asking who conducts audits and how private vendors are selected for examination work.
'Our demands are that the education minister resign immediately, the government provide compensation to the affected students, and a JPC be constituted to investigate the NEET paper leak,' he said.
NSUI President Highlights Rajasthan Link
NSUI president Vinod Jakhar said Rajasthan was the centre of the alleged paper leak and claimed the scandal showed signs of political protection. He also questioned the frequency of leaks and re-examinations.
'What, ultimately, is the reason behind 89 paper leaks occurring over the last 10 years — including four instances of the NEET papers being leaked — and re-examinations being held 48 times? These incidents raise serious questions about the integrity of our education system. Our students have realised that the Modi government has failed. Consequently, there is immense frustration among the student community,' he said.
NTA Cancels Exam, Orders CBI Inquiry
Meanwhile, the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Tuesday cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 examination held on May 3 amid allegations of paper leak and said the government has ordered a CBI inquiry into 'irregularities'.
The NTA said in a statement on X that the decision was taken 'in the interest of maintaining transparency and preserving trust in the national examination system'.
The exam was held on May 3 across 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad, with nearly 23 lakh candidates appearing for it. The re-exam will be conducted on dates to be announced in the next seven to 10 days.
