Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Sunday, May 24, 2026, escalated his attack on the Narendra Modi government over alleged paper leaks in national entrance examinations, demanding the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and a foolproof system to prevent recurrence.

Posting in Hindi on X, Gandhi wrote: 'जब लाखों युवा सड़क पर हों, 22 लाख बच्चों का भविष्य दांव पर हो और PM चुप हो - तो सरकार जवाब देने नहीं, बचने में लगी है।' — translated: 'When millions of youth are on the streets, the future of 22 lakh children is at stake, and the PM is silent — the government is busy evading, not answering.' He added that his party would not stop until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns and a foolproof system to prevent paper leaks like those seen in NEET is put in place.

Context

The post comes amid sustained opposition pressure over alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), the single national medical entrance examination for undergraduate admissions. Gandhi's demand targets Dharmendra Pradhan, who has served as Union Minister of Education since 2021 and oversees examination policy, including the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA) — the autonomous body under the Ministry of Education that conducts NEET and other major entrance tests.

Gandhi specifically cited 22 lakh children whose futures he said are at stake, and referenced millions of young people protesting on the streets. He also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi directly for remaining silent on the issue.

Policy Backdrop

NEET was introduced in 2013 and became the mandatory single-window medical entrance examination from 2016 following directions from the Supreme Court. The centralisation of admissions through a single test was intended to bring uniformity and curb irregularities across state-level examinations.

However, opposition leaders have repeatedly highlighted alleged paper leaks and administrative lapses in national competitive examinations over successive years, demanding ministerial accountability and stronger technical safeguards. The NTA's conduct of high-stakes exams has faced scrutiny from multiple quarters, including parliamentary committees and the judiciary.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary stakeholders are medical aspirants — students who invest years of preparation and significant financial resources to appear for NEET. Any compromise in examination integrity directly affects their prospects for admission to MBBS and BDS programmes across the country.

Gandhi's framing of the issue as a youth crisis — with 'millions on the streets' — signals that the Indian National Congress intends to keep exam integrity at the centre of its political mobilisation, particularly among first-time voters and student communities ahead of future electoral cycles.

What's Next

Political observers will watch whether the demand for Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation gains traction within parliament, particularly during the upcoming monsoon session. The Supreme Court has previously monitored NTA functioning, and any fresh judicial intervention or ministry announcement on revised exam protocols could shape the political response.

With the opposition signalling it will not relent, the government faces pressure to either defend its examination infrastructure publicly or announce structural reforms to the NTA — a test of how the ruling dispensation manages one of its most politically sensitive governance challenges.