Amid the NEET paper leak row, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should immediately sack education minister Dharmendra Pradhan or take personal accountability, and alleged that the "BJP-RSS nexus" has destroyed India's education system.
The leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said the hard work of 22 lakh NEET aspirants has gone to waste.
"The whole country knows that two days before NEET, its question paper was being distributed on WhatsApp. Dharmendra Pradhan ji says he has nothing to do with the matter. The (Parliamentary) Committee had made recommendations but he put it in the dustbin on the pretext that opposition people were on the committee and that it was of no use," Rahul Gandhi said in a video statement.
"The truth is that you (government) have damaged the core of India. This is a nexus of the RSS, the BJP and their people that have been installed in universities, vice chancellors and professors, to mint money," the former Congress president said.
This nexus has destroyed India's education system, he alleged.
"The whole country knows that if you want to become the vice chancellor of a university, you don't need subject knowledge, experience, you just have to be from the RSS.
If your ideology is not that of the RSS then you cannot become a vice chancellor, Rahul Gandhi alleged.
This is the reason that 80 times in this country, exam papers have been leaked and the future of two crore youth has been destroyed, he said.
"The PM should immediately order that Dharmendra Pradhan should be sacked and the people who are guilty of this be put in jail," Gandhi said.
In a post on X along with the video, 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 accountability. Modi ji, SACK Dharmendra Pradhan ji NOW."
Pradhan Friday announced that the NEET-UG re-examination would be held on June 21 and said the medical entrance exam would be computer-based from next year onwards as part of reforms in view of allegations of irregularities linked to it.
Addressing a press conference, Pradhan said students' future remained the government's topmost priority, adding that there would be "zero tolerance" for any irregularities found in the conduct of the NEET-UG.
Aam Aadmi Party's student wing ASAP on Saturday staged a protest at Jantar Mantar seeking the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and demanded a permanent solution to alleged paper leaks in the NEET examination.
The members of the Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP) raised slogans against the National Testing Agency (NTA) and held placards carrying messages such as "Dharmendra Pradhan Hatao, Shiksha Bachao" and "NTA Jawab Do, Lakho Bachcho Ko Insaf Do".
The students alleged that repeated reports of examination irregularities had created anxiety and uncertainty among aspirants preparing for competitive exams across the country.
They demanded stronger safeguards to ensure transparency and fairness in the conduct of national-level entrance examinations and called for accountability from the authorities concerned.
ASAP members said students were seeking assurance that such incidents would not recur in future examinations.
They also urged the government to introduce long-term reforms to restore confidence in the examination system.
The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) on Saturday also protested demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET paper leak and the suicides of four aspirants.
Holding posters, banners and party flags, IYC activists took out a protest march from Teen Murti Circle towards the education minister's residence before they were stopped by police barricades.
The police detained several members, including IYC national president Uday Bhanu Chib.
The protesters alleged that repeated paper leaks had shaken the confidence of students and exposed serious lapses in the country's examination system.
Addressing the protesters, Chib said, "The NEET paper leak and the death of four students have shaken the entire nation to its core. With the futures of millions of students at stake, the government's silence and negligence are completely unacceptable."
He also targeted the BJP-led Centre over recurring irregularities in the conduct of entrance exams.
"This Modi government has transformed democracy into a 'Leak-ocracy'. Today, the youth of the country are demanding answers regarding the blatant disregard shown towards their hard work and future," Chib alleged.
He sought responsibility for the paper leaks and repeated cancellations of exams. "Dharmendra Pradhan continues to cling to his seat while PM Modi maintains silence. How many more deaths must occur before accountability is established?"
The protesters claimed that 89 exam papers had been leaked in the last 12 years and that the paper for NEET alone was leaked four times.
"The BJP has created such a corrupt system that children of the wealthy will secure seats and jobs, while students from poor families will suffer," an IYC worker alleged.
BJP hits backs, asks Rahul Gandhi not to politicise NEET issue
The BJP on Saturday hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his criticism of the government on the NEET-UG 2026 issue, saying the Modi government acted swiftly against irregularities and stands firmly with students.
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari accused the Congress of politicising the issue and said the government had immediately taken corrective and punitive measures after irregularities surfaced in the medical entrance exam.
In a post on X, Bhandari said the government promptly cancelled the exam after reports of irregularities and announced a re-exam on June 21 without placing any additional burden on students.
"Stop politicising Rahul Gandhi. Congress has once again chosen politics over the future of 22 lakh students," he said.
"Before lecturing others, Congress must answer for its own disastrous record on paper leaks and exam scams," Bhandari said, while listing alleged past incidents including AIPMT leaks, SSC scams, CBSE paper leaks and multiple recruitment exam irregularities in Congress-ruled states.
The BJP spokesperson said the Centre handed the case to the CBI soon after the allegations surfaced, and Union education minister Pradhan publicly addressed the issue and accepted responsibility.
Bhandari also referred to arrests made in connection with the alleged paper leak racket.
He claimed that operatives linked to Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik and other locations have also been arrested.
"This is not a cover-up. This is not silence. This is action," Bhandari said.
"The Modi government stands firmly with honest students, not with paper leak mafias and political opportunists," he added.