Rahul Gandhi Demands Education Minister’s Resignation Over NEET-UG 2026 Paper Leak

New Delhi, May 2026 : Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday renewed his demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak controversy, accusing the Centre of repeatedly failing to prevent examination irregularities and avoiding accountability.

Taking to social media platform X, Gandhi compared the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak with the controversy surrounding NEET-UG 2024 and questioned why the government had not acted against the Education Minister despite recurring incidents.

Referring to the 2024 examination controversy, Gandhi wrote that despite allegations of a paper leak and a subsequent investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the examination was not cancelled and no ministerial accountability was fixed.

“NEET 2024: Paper leaked. Exam not cancelled. Minister did not resign. CBI set up an investigation. A committee was formed,” Gandhi posted.

The Congress leader then drew parallels with the current year’s controversy, pointing out that the 2026 examination had been cancelled following allegations of a leak.

“NEET 2026: Paper leaked. Exam cancelled. Minister still did not resign. CBI is investigating again. Another committee will be formed,” he added.

The remarks came amid growing political debate over the NEET-UG examination, which was cancelled after allegations that portions of the question paper had been leaked ahead of the test.

Gandhi directly questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue and criticised what he described as the government’s silence on repeated examination controversies.

“Mr. Modi, the country is asking you some questions — answer them,” Gandhi wrote.

“Why aren’t you dismissing the Education Minister who keeps failing repeatedly? Why are paper leaks happening again and again? Why are you silent every time on this issue of ‘exam paper discussion’?” he asked.

The Congress MP had also attacked the government over the issue a day earlier through a video message in which he alleged that the NEET-UG 2026 question paper had been circulated two days before the examination was conducted.

Targeting Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Gandhi had claimed that the government was attempting to distance itself from responsibility despite widespread allegations.

“The whole country knows that the paper was distributed two days before the exam. India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan says he has nothing to do with it. You have damaged the very core idea of India,” Gandhi had said.

He further alleged the existence of a nexus involving the RSS, BJP, and certain individuals appointed to educational institutions, accusing them of turning the education system into a mechanism for profiteering.

According to Gandhi, the repeated examination controversies were affecting the future of lakhs of students and eroding trust in the country’s education system.

The Congress leader also criticised the process of appointing Vice-Chancellors and senior academic officials in universities, alleging that ideological loyalty was being prioritised over merit and academic qualifications.

Meanwhile, the re-examination for NEET-UG 2026 has been scheduled for June 21 following the cancellation of the earlier test amid the paper leak allegations.

It may be recalled that in 2024, the Supreme Court had refused to cancel the NEET-UG examination, observing that there was insufficient evidence to establish a “systemic” paper leak affecting the entire examination process.