Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Friday, 7 August launched a sharp attack on the Union government, private coaching institutes, and India's broader education system at a press conference in Nashik, Maharashtra, following 40 days of student protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar over the NEET paper leak. Thackeray warned that public anger over the exam scandal was far from over and would intensify in the days ahead.

Thackeray on the Jantar Mantar Protests

Calling the Delhi demonstrations a historic moment, Thackeray said, 'An agitation of this scale is taking place after many years. Not every parent had a child taking the NEET exam, but the anger displayed by the youth in Delhi reflected a broader societal frustration. I believe this outrage will grow even stronger in the coming days.'

He accused the Union government of escalating tensions by deploying police force against peaceful protesters. 'When the police used force against the protesting youth in Delhi, the movement reached every home. Parents and elders felt as though their own children were being beaten,' he said. Thackeray further alleged that the crisis exposed 'internal conflicts within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that are now coming out in the open.'

Coaching Institute Culture Under Fire

Thackeray reserved pointed criticism for the private coaching industry, arguing it has effectively displaced formal college education. 'Students are sitting in coaching classes for eight hours a day instead of attending college. What role are colleges playing then? How is attendance being marked in colleges when students spend their entire day at coaching centres?' he asked.

While clarifying that not all coaching institutes are problematic, he described the sector as a heavily commercialised venture and alleged that the NEET paper leak originated through these coaching networks. He urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other authorities to hold such institutes accountable. He also took a swipe at Maharashtra Minister Chandrakant Patil, saying leaders should prioritise the welfare of students over administrative trivialities.

Student Suicides and the Yash Gosavi Case

Thackeray highlighted the human cost of the paper leak, noting that 21 students across the country had reportedly ended their lives in the aftermath. He specifically raised the case of Yash Gosavi, a Nashik resident who died by suicide due to depression linked to the NEET paper leak, and alleged that Gosavi's name was absent from the government's official list of victims — a charge that, if verified, raises serious accountability questions for authorities.

Credibility of Indian Education on the Line

Targeting former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Thackeray questioned why ordinary Indian families should trust a system that its own stewards reportedly distrust. 'Indian parents spend nearly ₹5 lakh crore annually on foreign education. Even Dharmendra Pradhan's daughter studied abroad. If the former Education Minister's own family lacks faith in the country's education system, why should ordinary parents have any?' he said.

This comes amid a broader national debate on the integrity of competitive examinations, with the NEET leak joining a series of exam-related controversies that have shaken confidence in the National Testing Agency (NTA). With student anger showing no signs of abating and political voices across the spectrum amplifying the issue, the pressure on the Centre to overhaul both the examination framework and the regulation of coaching institutes is set to grow.