The Congress on Monday intensified its attack on the Narendra Modi government over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination, accusing the Centre of presiding over a broken examination system marred by recurring paper leaks, corruption and administrative failure that have put the future of millions of students at risk.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge claimed the country’s examination framework had deteriorated into a “symbol of disorder, distrust and chaos” under the BJP-led government, alleging that repeated controversies surrounding NEET reflected deeper institutional failure.
In a post on social media platform X, Kharge alleged that NEET papers had been leaked on at least four occasions — in 2016, 2021, 2024 and 2026 — raising serious concerns about the integrity of one of India’s most important competitive examinations.
“Under the Modi government, the examination system has become a complete symbol of disorder, distrust and chaos,” Kharge said.
Referring to media reports from Rajasthan’s Sikar district, the Congress chief alleged that a handwritten “guess paper” circulated before the examination contained 135 questions that directly matched the actual NEET paper.
“It was reportedly being sold openly, yet the Central government did not even get wind of it,” he asked, accusing the BJP government of failing to dismantle what he termed a growing “paper leak mafia”.
Kharge further alleged that “playing with the future of crores of young people has become a habit of the BJP”, and accused the government of failing to create jobs, mishandling recruitment examinations and engaging in “cover-ups” whenever allegations of irregularities surfaced.
Senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also criticised the Centre, saying recurring allegations of malpractice in NEET examinations were severely damaging the aspirations of students and their families.
“Reports are once again emerging about large-scale irregularities in the NEET UG examination. The corruption that has plagued examinations for the past several years under BJP rule is robbing the country’s youth of their future,” Priyanka Gandhi said in a separate post on X.
She said nearly 2.3 million students who appeared for the examination this year had been affected by the controversy and questioned the government’s ability to ensure fairness in competitive exams.
“Students work tirelessly to prepare for examinations like NEET. Parents stake everything to secure their children’s future. Yet every examination ends up falling victim to corruption,” she said.
Questioning the effectiveness of the anti-paper leak law enacted by Parliament, Priyanka Gandhi said the legislation appeared meaningless if alleged irregularities and corruption continued despite promises of strict action.
“The Prime Minister is accountable to the youth of the country. How long will this cycle of destroying the future of young people continue?” she asked.
The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG), which serves as the gateway for admission to undergraduate medical courses across India, has repeatedly come under scrutiny in recent years amid allegations of paper leaks, cheating rackets and procedural lapses in multiple states.
The controversy surrounding the 2024 NEET examination had sparked nationwide protests, petitions in courts and sharp political exchanges between the Opposition and the Centre, with critics accusing the National Testing Agency and the Union government of failing to maintain transparency and credibility in the conduct of high-stakes examinations.
The fresh allegations are expected to further intensify the political confrontation over the integrity of India’s examination system, an issue that has emerged as a major concern among students, parents and job aspirants across the country.