Congress asks PM Modi to break silence on paper leaks, act against Pradhan

The Congress on Wednesday (May 27, 2026) stepped up its attack on the government over examination paper leaks, demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi break his silence, act against "incompetent" Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and enact strict laws with zero tolerance for paper leaks.

Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar hit out at the government over the NEET paper leak and subsequent cancellation, as well as the row over the CBSE's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, alleging that it was unable to conduct even a single examination properly.

"The responsibility to conduct all important exams has been handed over to the NTA, on which questions are raised repeatedly," Mr. Kumar said at a press conference here.

A probe into the background of NTA Director Abhishek Singh would reveal how close he is to those in power and what political connections he has with people in the government, Mr. Kumar alleged.

Mr. Kumar asked why such officials were appointed to key positions for political gains and why no action was taken against them after failure.

"Narendra Modi, by shattering the dreams of the country's youth, is selling them the spectacle of a developed India. What is happening in the country may be comedy for the government, but for children, it is a matter of life and death," he said.

How tragic it is that the Modi government can't even conduct a single exam properly, Mr. Kumar said.

The situation is such that when a 17-year-old student raised a plea about issues related to the CBSE, some journalists who have no spine labelled him a traitor, the Congress' NSUI in-charge said.

"The same prime minister who holds 'Pariksha Pe Charcha' before exams doesn't utter a single word when there is a paper leak. First, reports of the NEET paper leak started surfacing, and then the CBSE issue came to light.

"What compulsion does Narendra Modi have that he appointed an unqualified person as the education minister?" Mr. Kumar said.

He said the NSUI and the Indian Youth Congress have been continuously questioning the paper leaks, while the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is also consistently raising this issue.

"Our demands are that the prime minister should break his silence and take action against the incompetent education minister. Strict laws should be enacted to stop paper leaks with zero tolerance," he said.

"When will the failed education minister be removed from his post. NTA is unable to conduct exams properly; this responsibility should be taken away from them. We want to tell the students that we stand with them, we will continue to fight their battle," Mr. Kumar said.

Mr. Kumar said the party was assisting NEET aspirants and would continue supporting students in the future as well, asserting that they should not have to risk their lives because of someone else's failure.

"CBSE affected students, who are facing difficulty in getting their answer sheets, or if there is any discrepancy in them, we have issued a number for them, 9268030030. Students can register their complaints and we will provide them full assistance," the Congress leader said.