Congress on Monday, 1 June 2026 sharply dismissed reports suggesting that a parliamentary standing committee had given a clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the NEET-UG 2026 exam disruption, calling such claims misleading and based on out-of-context quotes. The party's pushback came as the National Testing Agency (NTA) prepares to conduct the re-examination on 21 June 2026.

Congress Rejects Clean Chit Narrative

Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh posted on X that 'the Standing Committee on Education has given no clean chit to the Prime Minister or his system.' He also clarified that senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh had not expressed confidence in the government's handling of the matter. Ramesh described at least one English-language media report as spreading 'mischievous news based on sources whose agenda is only to mislead.'

Ramesh explained that Singh had merely noted that the Solicitor General informed the committee that the Prime Minister is personally monitoring the NEET re-examination. 'For the sake of our students, we must believe that the exam will be held successfully,' Ramesh quoted Singh as saying — a statement he characterised as an expression of hope, not endorsement.

Congress Escalates Attack on Education Ministry

Ramesh went further, calling it 'impossible for any reasonable mind to have any faith in the Pradhan Mantri and his system.' He alleged that the same administrative apparatus 'botched up the investigation in the 2024 NEET-UG paper leak' and continues to deny that the NEET-UG 2026 paper was leaked, 'when the truth is evident to all.' He also accused the system of compromising the administration of exams not only in higher education but within the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) as well.

The Congress MP separately demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, questioning the CBSE's move to penalise the contractor allegedly responsible for lapses in the On-Screen Marking (OSM) process. 'Minister Pradhan should resign to fulfil his rajadharma,' Ramesh said.

CBSE OSM Controversy Deepens

The criticism of CBSE follows the board's acknowledgement that it had received complaints related to mismatched answer sheets and other lapses in the revaluation process. Ramesh said that after 'denying cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the On Screen Marking system, CBSE has finally acknowledged that the system was compromised.' This is the second major examination controversy to hit the Centre's education infrastructure in as many years, raising broader questions about institutional oversight.

NEET Re-Exam Timeline

The NTA had cancelled the original NEET-UG 2026 examination on 12 May 2026 following widespread allegations of a paper leak, triggering anxiety among lakhs of medical aspirants and their families. The re-examination is now scheduled for 21 June 2026, with admit cards expected to be issued by 14 June 2026. How smoothly that process unfolds will be closely watched by students, opposition parties, and the courts alike.