Congress to launch nationwide campaign over exam 'irregularities', seek Pradhan's resignation

Opposition Congress on Thursday announced a nationwide campaign from June 30 to demand Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, and also to seek a comprehensive overhaul of the country's examination system. The first phase of this 40-day campaign titled 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' (Voice of Students) will culminate with a "Delhi Chalo" protest march on August 9, a party leader said. Party leaders held press conferences at various places in the country, including Ahmedabad, Bhopal and Nagpur, over the issue. Talking to reporters in Ahmedabad, Congress leader Satej Patil alleged that repeated examination irregularities had created a "massive trust deficit" among students and jeopardised the future of lakhs of aspirants. Patil, a legislator from Maharashtra, said nearly 23 lakh students appeared for NEET after years of preparation, but only around two lakh would eventually secure admission to medical, dental, AYUSH and allied courses. "They talk about running a country of 130 crore people, but they cannot even conduct an examination properly for 23 lakh students. It is such a tedious exam, and they are failing to conduct it properly," the former Maharashtra minister said.

He said the issue was not just limited to paper leaks or re-examination, and had severely eroded the faith of students in the system. "The confidence students had that they would get marks based on what they studied is gone. That trust has been shattered. This is a massive trust deficit among the youth of the entire country," he said. The party announced the nationwide outreach campaign covering 28 cities, targeting students, job aspirants, coaching hubs, college campuses and libraries.

Under the programme, Congress leaders will conduct leaflet distribution drives, street-corner meetings and campus outreach activities beginning June 30. Patil alleged that paper leaks had become a recurring phenomenon and accused the government of failing to hold the masterminds accountable. Referring to the NEET controversy, he claimed that while middlemen were arrested in previous cases, the larger network behind examination scams remained untouched. The Congress also demanded an inquiry into the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA), examination processes, paper-setting mechanisms, printing and transportation systems, digital infrastructure and vendor contracts.

Patil further alleged the existence of a nexus involving coaching institutes and examination leak networks. "Where did the leaked paper come from? Who got it first? This points to a nexus. News of a paper leak breaks and the very next day advertisements appear asking students to rejoin classes in case of a re-exam. This nexus between coaching classes and the system needs to be broken," he said.

The Congress leader demanded that Pradhan accept responsibility for the alleged failures and step down from office. The party also called for a fixed annual examination and recruitment calendar, with pre-announced dates for exams, results and appointments. As part of the campaign, Congress will organise demonstrations outside district collector offices in the 28 cities on August 1 and conclude the first phase with a "Delhi Chalo" march on August 9.

Replying to a question on student suicides, Patil said Congress would consider suggestions for creating counselling mechanisms to support students and help restore their confidence. He said the immediate objective of the campaign was to reassure students that their concerns were being heard and to press the government to address systemic shortcomings in the examination process. In Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari and party MP Imran Masood addressed a press conference to provide details about the campaign. "Alleged irregularities in various competitive examinations, including the NEET-UG, have affected the future of millions of students and undermined public confidence in the examination system," they said.

Paper leaks are no longer isolated incidents but have taken the form of an organised network, they added. Patwari and Masood demanded a comprehensive review of the examination system to ensure complete security.

Meanwhile, in a press conference in Nagpur, Congress spokesperson Dr Shama Mohamed gave an outline of the 'Chhatro Ki Goonj' campaign. She also slammed the Union government over its "failure" to curb the incidents of exam paper leaks. "Paper leaks have been happening across the country since the BJP came to power in the country in 2014," she alleged. Citing a news report, she said the country witnessed 89 paper leaks in the last 10 years, affecting more than six crore students. Forty-eight examinations were re-scheduled and 22 examinations were cancelled before examinations, she said, and highlighted the issue of students' suicides. "Who is responsible for all this?" she said, questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "silence" over the NEET issue. She demanded the resignation of Union minister Pradhan, saying no action was being taken against him. She sought a complete overhaul of the country's examination system.