Administrative failure, insensitive toward students: Opposition attacks govt after NEET cancellation

Opposition leaders on Tuesday attacked the government after the cancellation of the NEET-UG examination, alleging administrative failure and insensitivity toward students, and also slammed the "repeated lapses" in the conduct of national-level competitive examinations. Several opposition leaders took to X questioning the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and demanding accountability over the recurring controversies surrounding entrance tests. The NTA on Tuesday cancelled the NEET (UG) 2026 exam held on May 3 amid allegations of paper leak, with the government asking the CBI to carry out a comprehensive inquiry into the "irregularities". The examination for students seeking admission to undergraduate courses in medical colleges will now be held afresh on dates to be notified separately.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi targetted the government over the cancellation, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi's so-called 'amrit kaal' has turned into a 'vish kaal' (poison-filled era) for the country and this instance is "not just a failure - it's a crime against the future of the youth". He said the hard work, sacrifices, and dreams of more than 22 lakh students have been "crushed by this corrupt BJP regime". He also alleged that Modi and the BJP are "partners in the theft" of students' future. "The only rule in the market where your hard work and dreams are being auctioned is this: the bigger the theft, the bigger the reward," Gandhi said.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav questioned the credibility of conducting the examination and said what was the guarantee that papers won't get leaked again if the test was re-conducted. He alleged that the examination system would continue to suffer from paper leaks as long as the BJP remained in power.

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal said affected students will have to resort to mass protests as the government only understands the language of agitation.   At a press conference, he alleged "political patronage" in paper leaks, saying the NEET question paper was leaked four times in the past nine years and none of the accused were punished.  He said that paper leaks did not happen out of nowhere, as he alleged complicity of higher ups, and accused the government of toying with the future of lakhs of students.   "I want to tell the students that they will have to come out on the streets. This government understands only the language of mass agitation … Kejriwal is with you," he said.  

BRS working president K T Rama Rao alleged that the NEET paper leak occurred due to the inefficiency of the NDA government in conducting the exam in a foolproof manner and demanded that it should apologise to the students and their parents.

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Sagarika Ghose said the cancellation had thrown the lives of lakhs of students into "disarray and anxiety". In a post on X, she alleged there was "zero accountability" in the Narendra Modi government and accused it of being "incapable of daily administration". "More dispatches from the Double Engine. NEET-UG examination cancelled. Lakhs of students lives thrown into disarray and anxiety. No governance and zero accountability of incompetent useless Narendra Modi regime, only mindlessly promoting itself, incapable of daily administration," Ghose wrote.

RJD national working president Tejashwi Yadav said the future of 23 lakh students "has once again been toyed with". "Due to the paper leak, the 2026 exam has been canceled. The future of 23 lakh students has once again been toyed with. The endless chain of paper leaks in Bihar and across the country shows no signs of stopping. "Does the BJP government lack even the basic administrative capacity, competence, willpower, and skill to conduct a simple exam without a paper leak in an orderly manner…?" Yadav said in a post on X.

Party's Rajya Sabha member Manoj Jha also lashed out at the NTA, posting on X, "Do anything but first dismantle NTA, NEET." Talking to PTI Videos, Jha said the agency was "incapable" and recalled that he had earlier raised the issue in Parliament. "I had said in Parliament, throw it in Bay of Bengal. Have you ever thought about the impact on students coming from ordinary backgrounds? The CBI probe is an eyewash. This is extremely insensitive," he said. "Democracy is not just fighting and winning elections. How sensitive are you towards the people," Jha asked.

RJD spokesperson Priyanka Bharti linked the latest controversy to earlier allegations of paper leaks connected to Bihar. "When the NEET paper leak happened in 2024, a connection to Bihar had emerged back then too. Once again, in the NEET paper leak case, three people from Bihar have been arrested. One MBBS doctor was also involved in this," she said. "How does Bihar's name keep coming up every time," Bharti asked.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) demanded the immediate disbanding of the NTA, accusing it of repeatedly failing to conduct examinations in a credible manner. In a statement, the Politburo of the party said nearly 22 lakh students were being subjected to "unnecessary psychological pressure" despite bearing no responsibility for the incident. The party alleged that paper leaks occur due to the "connivance of corrupt and vested interests" who are insensitive to students' concerns. Party's Rajya Sabha member John Brittas said repeated failures in national examinations were eroding public trust in the system. "NEET cancellation is yet another blow to lakhs of students who put in years of hard work. Repeated failures in national exams are destroying trust in the system. Government must fix this broken process as our youth deserve better," he said in his X post.

CPI Rajya Sabha member P Sandosh Kumar, in a statement, strongly condemned the government and the NTA for pushing lakhs of students into uncertainty and distress. He also demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe.

Former education minister Kapil Sibal said a government that cannot conduct a fair exam is incapable of running the country. The Independent Rajya Sabha member urged Modi to do a Mann Ki Baat with those who have suffered due to paper leaks and say that he is "sorry for what has happened". Congress veteran and former law minister M Veerappa Moily demanded the immediate resignation of Pradhan.