Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, June 25, 2026, launched a sharp attack on the Modi government, accusing it of arrogance and governance failure after the Union Education Minister allegedly labelled protesting students as 'terrorists'. Gandhi posted his remarks on X, targeting the government's handling of examination integrity and student unrest.

Context

In his post, Gandhi wrote in Hindi: 'सत्ता के अहंकार में डूबी मोदी सरकार अब इस मुकाम पर पहुँच गई है कि अपने अधिकारों, निष्पक्ष परीक्षाओं और सुरक्षित भविष्य की मांग करने वाले छात्रों को ही शिक्षा मंत्री 'आतंकवादी' कह रहे हैं।' — ('The Modi government, drowned in the arrogance of power, has now reached a point where the Education Minister is calling students who demand their rights, fair examinations, and a secure future 'terrorists'.')

He further alleged that the same minister, under whose watch multiple paper leaks occurred and under whose tenure 20 students allegedly lost their lives, had the audacity to direct such language at aspirants. NationPress is unable to independently verify the specific claims regarding the minister's exact statement or the death toll figure at this time.

Policy Backdrop

The controversy sits against a backdrop of sustained controversy surrounding the National Testing Agency (NTA), the autonomous body under the Ministry of Education responsible for conducting high-stakes exams including NEET and JEE. Between 2022 and 2024, multiple paper-leak incidents across NEET, NET, and state-level examinations triggered nationwide student protests and a wave of petitions in courts.

NEET was made mandatory for all medical admissions from 2016, replacing a patchwork of state-level tests, with the intention of standardising merit-based selection. However, repeated integrity failures have eroded student confidence in the process, and opposition parties have consistently framed these lapses as evidence of systemic governance failure at the Centre.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary stakeholders are millions of competitive exam aspirants — medical and engineering students — whose careers depend on the credibility of examinations conducted by the NTA. Any perception that the system is compromised, or that students raising grievances are being criminalised in public discourse, carries significant political and social weight.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has been at the centre of opposition criticism over the NTA's functioning. Gandhi's post amplifies pressure on the minister at a time when parliamentary scrutiny of the education ministry's performance is expected to intensify during the upcoming monsoon session.

What's Next

The opposition is likely to raise the issue in Parliament during the monsoon session, demanding accountability for exam integrity failures and calling for independent oversight of the NTA. Judicial proceedings related to ongoing NEET-related petitions are also expected to continue, keeping the issue in the public eye.

Gandhi's post signals that the Congress party intends to keep student welfare and examination integrity at the forefront of its political campaign against the ruling dispensation, framing it as a question of fundamental rights and government accountability.