Congress to launch nationwide campaign against exam irregularities

All India Congress Committee’s national spokesperson Ragini Nayak on Thursday (June 25, 2026) announced the party’s decision to launch a nationwide campaign, ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ (Voice of Students), to highlight the concerns of students and job aspirants allegedly affected by paper leaks, examination fraud, recruitment delays, exam cancellations and other irregularities in the country’s public examination system.

Addressing a press conference in Vijayawada, Ms. Nayak said the 40-day campaign would be conducted across 28 major cities to mobilise students and youth, and draw attention to the “growing crisis” of confidence in examinations and recruitment processes. She said the initiative sought to ensure that students who prepare honestly were provided a fair and transparent examination system.

The Congress leader outlined the party’s key demands, including the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and a comprehensive investigation into alleged links between paper leak networks, officials, vendors and any political patronage.

She also called for a complete overhaul of the examination system through enhanced security measures, audits and reforms covering question paper preparation, printing, transportation, examination centres, digital infrastructure and vendor management.

She also stressed the need for a fixed annual examination and recruitment calendar, with examination dates, results and appointments announced in advance and implemented without delays.

As part of the campaign, the Congress plans to launch grassroots outreach programmes from June 30, including pamphlet distribution, student interactions and public meetings. Through July, campus engagements and ‘Ambedkar Samvaad’ programmes would be organised, she said, adding that the campaign would culminate in Collectorate gheraos across cities on August 1, followed by a Sansad gherao in New Delhi on August 9.

Highlighting the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 as a major example of systemic failure, Ms. Nayak said the examination’s cancellation, after alleged paper leaks, had caused uncertainty for over two million aspirants. She said such incidents undermine public trust and unfairly affect students and families who invest years of effort and resources in preparing for competitive examinations.