Kamal Ghorui
Congress on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the NEET-UG controversy, with its leaders saying he “can’t even stop paper leaks”, and demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan along with a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into what the paper leak.“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,” Congress Youth wing president Uday Bhanu Chib made the remarks at a press conference at the party headquarters, where he and NSUI chief Vinod Jakhar also demanded that the government compensate students affected by the cancellation of the exam. Chib said the issue of paper leaks has become a repeated failure 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 who prepare for competitive exams are deeply impacted 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. Chib further raised questions on the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA), including audits and the selection process for private vendors. “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 Vinod Jakhar said Rajasthan was the centre of the alleged paper leak and claimed the issue reflected deeper problems in the system. 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,” he said. He added that students have lost trust in the system and expressed frustration over repeated exam disruptions.The National Testing Agency (NTA) on Tuesday cancelled the NEET-UG 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.
