The Congress on Saturday (May 16, 2026) demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the National Entrance Test (NEET) and UG paper leak row, with Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi claiming the scandal was the result of “money making” and between people.
In a video statement posted on X, Mr. Gandhi alleged that the leaked NEET paper was circulated on WhatsApp two days before the exam was held, destroying years of hard work of 22 lakh students. He also accused the Narendra Modi-led government of “running away” from responsibility.
“The Prime Minister should immediately ask for the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan ji or fire him. And those who are guilty of the paper leak should be in jail,” Gandhi said.
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“This is a nexus between people belonging to RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), BJP and university vice-chancellors who owe their allegiance to RSS. It is the result of nexus to make money,” he added.
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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that under the BJP government, “Amrit Kaal” turned out to be “Mrit Kaal” (era of death) for students preparing for competitive exams, citing reports of suicides of NEET aspirants following the controversy.
“According to reports, several students committed suicide due to the trauma of the NEET paper leak scandal. Ritik Mishra from Lakhimpur Kheri, 20-year-old Anshika Pandey from Delhi, Pradeep Meghwal from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan and a student from Bengaluru residing in Goa – all from the post on Mr. Khadalge took this tragic step.”
Mr. Kharge alleged that more than 90 examination papers were leaked during the Modi government’s tenure, adversely affecting more than 90 million students and their families. He also accused the BJP of sponsoring a “paper leak mafia” that is undermining the credibility of public examinations.
“The Union Education Minister must resign immediately,” Mr. Kharge added.
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh also attacked the government, claiming that “the education department’s incompetence is matched only by the arrogance of its minister”.
In a media report on the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education on the National Testing Agency (NTA), Mr. Ramesh said the government had failed to heed repeated warnings about examination reforms.
“The Modi government’s education ecosystem — populated by third-rate academic mediocrity — has proven supremely incompetent, politicized and corrupt in the last few years,” he claimed.
Mr. Ramesh cited controversies from a number of NCERT textbooks, the proposed UGC regulation on the appointment of vice-chancellors, the NAAC bribery scandal, the ICHR controversies, vacancies in higher education institutions and paper leaks.
He also criticized Mr. Pradhan for allegedly rejecting the recommendations of the parliamentary standing committee on education, saying it included members of the opposition.
“The Prime Minister is very proud and gives a lot of publicity to his annual Pariksha pe Charcha extravaganza. ‘Pariksha ki Samiksha’ (exam review) is needed in this hour. The Education Minister seems not cut out for the task,” said Mr. Ramesh.
The remarks came a day after Mr. Pradhan announced that the NEET-UG re-examination would be held on June 21 and that the entrance medical examination would be conducted in a computerized format from next year as part of reforms following allegations of irregularities.
The NEET-UG, which was held on May 3, was canceled following allegations of irregularities in the examination process.
22 thousand NEET students were cheated. But Modi does not say a single word to her.
Remove Dharmendra Pradhan ji now or take responsibility yourself.
Modi ji, AVOID Dharmendra Pradhan ji NOW. pic.twitter.com/6FRMMa8AI8
—Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 16, 2026
In a post on X along with the video, Mr Gandhi said, “2.2 million NEET aspirants have been betrayed. Yet Modi ji has not uttered a single word. Remove Dharmendra Pradhan ji immediately or take personal responsibility. Modi ji, DROP Dharmendra Pradhan ji NOW.”
Mr Pradhan on Friday (May 16, 2026) announced that the NEET-UG re-examination will be held on June 21 and said that the medical entrance examination will be computer-based from next year as part of reforms in view of allegations of irregularities related to it.
Addressing a press conference, Mr. Pradhan said that the future of students remained the top priority of the government, adding that there would be “zero tolerance” for any irregularities found in the conduct of NEET-UG.
Strict measures have been taken, he said.
The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)-Pregraduate held on May 3 was canceled following allegations of irregularities in the examination process.
Published – 16 May 2026 19:06 IST
