Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, on Thursday, May 21, 2026, launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak crisis, accusing the government of failing millions of medical aspirants while the Prime Minister was engaged in social media activity during an overseas visit to Italy.

Context

Gandhi posted in Hindi, writing: 'जब मोदी जी इटली में टॉफी खिलाते हुए reels बना रहे थे - पेपर लीक से त्रस्त भारत के युवा सड़कों पर न्याय मांग रहे थे' — 'While Modi ji was making reels feeding toffees in Italy, the youth of India, battered by paper leaks, were on the streets demanding justice.' He added that the NEET paper leak had 'destroyed the futures of lakhs of students' and that 'many children even lost their lives.'

Gandhi concluded by noting that Modi neither accepted responsibility nor removed Dharmendra Pradhan from his post — a pointed reference to the Education Minister's continued tenure despite the controversy.

Policy Backdrop

NEET, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, was introduced as a single national medical entrance examination following Supreme Court directions in 2013 and made mandatory from 2016, replacing a patchwork of state-level tests. Administered by the National Testing Agency (NTA), it determines admission to medical colleges across India and is taken by over 20 lakh aspirants each year.

A large-scale paper leak incident in 2024 triggered nationwide student protests, multiple Supreme Court petitions, and demands for a complete overhaul of the NTA's examination conduct framework. The controversy drew sustained parliamentary scrutiny and calls for the Education Minister's resignation from opposition benches.

Stakeholders and Impact

NEET aspirants — many of whom spend years and significant family resources preparing for the examination — are the most directly affected. A compromised paper undermines the merit-based selection process that determines entry into government and private medical colleges, with cascading consequences for healthcare access across the country.

The episode also implicates the credibility of the National Testing Agency, which conducts several other high-stakes national examinations. Opposition parties, student unions, and civil society groups have repeatedly demanded structural reforms, independent oversight, and accountability at the ministerial level.

What's Next

Gandhi's post is likely to intensify pressure on the government ahead of any fresh parliamentary session debates on education ministry performance. The Supreme Court has previously taken cognisance of NEET integrity failures, and further hearings or committee reports on examination reform remain a live possibility.

With the opposition consistently framing the NEET crisis as emblematic of broader governance failures affecting India's youth, the issue is expected to remain a central political flashpoint through the coming legislative calendar.