New Delhi, 24 July (H.S.): Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh on Friday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his response to the NEET-UG paper leak controversy, alleging that the Prime Minister remained silent for nearly two months and addressed the issue only after mounting public outrage. He claimed that students had lost faith in the government because of its handling of the controversy.

In a post on social media platform X, Ramesh said the Prime Minister released a late-night video message after remaining silent for almost two months. He alleged that the government had consistently refused to acknowledge that the NEET-UG 2026 examination paper had been leaked.

According to Ramesh, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan deliberately avoided using the term paper leak during his press conference, while the Ministry of Education also informed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education that no paper leak had taken place.

He said the government was ultimately compelled to acknowledge the reality due to overwhelming public pressure but added that its prolonged response had severely eroded students' confidence in the administration.

The Congress leader further alleged that despite reports of an unusually high number of top-ranking candidates emerging from certain examination centres during the 2024 NEET-UG examination, the government attempted to suppress evidence of widespread irregularities. He claimed that the Centre later admitted that a selective paper leak had taken place in Hazaribagh but had failed to ensure punishment for those responsible.

Ramesh also referred to the investigation into the alleged paper leak, stating that Sanjeev Mukhiya, who was initially projected as the alleged mastermind, was now being described as innocent. He further alleged that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had filed a closure report in the cancelled 2024 University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) case, stating that no paper leak had occurred, while the reasons behind that conclusion had not been adequately explained.

He alleged that the controversy reflected both shortcomings in the CBI's investigation and failures in the government's leadership.

Calling for accountability, Ramesh said the first step towards resolving the issue should be the removal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan from office. He also demanded action against those responsible for using force against protesting students and urged the government to issue a public apology to the student community.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar