The Congress on Wednesday criticized the BJP-led government over a “collapsed” examination system and called for the immediate removal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following repeated paper leaks and rising student suicides.
“The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, makes reels before board exams for his annual Pariksha pe Charcha interaction with students, teachers, and parents, but remains silent after paper leaks,” said Kanhaiya Kumar, who is in charge of the Congress student wing, the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI).
Kumar said the Congress, NSUI, and Youth Congress would continue their protests from Parliament to the streets. He also highlighted complaints regarding the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) preliminary examination, with students alleging out-of-syllabus questions and inadequate time per question. “The UPSC syllabus does not leak, but the NEET paper does. That says everything about this government,” he remarked, referring to the compromised National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2026.
He further said that Modi has not commented on the NEET controversy and questioned why an “incompetent” education minister continues to remain in office. “He is your own Cabinet minister, not Trump’s, whom you are trembling before,” Kumar added.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2026 on May 13, nine days after 2.27 million students appeared for the exam across 551 cities. The decision came after central agencies confirmed that the question paper had been compromised, with some candidates allegedly receiving the questions on their phones as early as May 1, two days before the examination.
Kanhaiya Kumar alleged that examination papers have leaked more than 80 times under the current government. “The NTA even sends admit cards carrying photos of random people. Check the background of the NTA director, and you will find political links to the RSS and BJP,” he claimed.
The Congress announced a helpline (9260030030) for Central Board of Secondary Education students facing issues related to online screening and answer sheet marking. The party also said a separate helpline for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) students would soon be introduced.
Kanhaiya Kumar urged students not to take extreme steps. “Do not sacrifice your precious life because of someone else’s failure. If you have to fight, fight for your rights,” he said.