New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday escalated his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, demanding answers on why Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has not been removed from his post. In a post on social media platform X, Gandhi drew comparisons between the handling of the NEET-UG 2024 and 2026 paper leak cases, urging the Prime Minister to address the nation's concerns.
Gandhi's comparison of NEET leaks
"NEET 2024: The paper was leaked. The exam wasn’t cancelled. The minister didn’t resign. The CBI launched an investigation. A committee was formed. NEET 2026: The paper was leaked. The exam was cancelled. The minister still didn’t resign. The CBI is investigating again. Another committee will be formed," the Congress leader said in his post.
"Modi ji, the nation has some questions for you — answer them! Why are paper leaks happening again and again? Why are you silent on this repeated ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’? Why haven’t you sacked the education minister who’s failing time and again?" he added.
NEET-UG 2026 cancellation
The National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 examination on Tuesday, which was conducted on May 3, after investigators found evidence that several questions similar to those in the exam paper had been circulated before the test. The government subsequently handed over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the examination will be reconducted on June 21.
The cancellation has impacted nearly 23 lakh aspirants. This marks the first time the entire NEET-UG examination has been scrapped since the NTA took over conducting the test in 2019. In 2024, the exam was partially reconducted for 1,563 students following discrepancies in marks.
CBI arrests another accused
On Saturday, the CBI arrested another alleged mastermind in the case, identified as Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, a senior Botany teacher from Pune, Maharashtra. According to the agency, Mandhare was arrested in Delhi after questioning. Investigators alleged that she was the source of leaked Biology questions in the medical entrance examination.
The CBI stated that Mandhare was associated with the NEET-UG 2026 examination process and had been appointed by the NTA as an expert, giving her access to Botany and Zoology question papers.
Rahul Gandhi on student suicides
Rahul Gandhi also questioned the Centre on Friday over the rising 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 didn’t lose to the exams; they were killed by a corrupt system. This isn’t suicide — it’s murder by the system."
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