The Congress on Friday (May 22, 2026) accused the Narendra Modi-led Union government of attempting to “cover up” alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG 2026 examination, with party general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh saying both the Prime Minister and the Education Minister must be held accountable for the “colossal tragedy” and its “ongoing cover-up”.
On Thursday (May 21), several MPs, during a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, questioned National Testing Agency (NTA) officials regarding measures taken to strengthen the examination system and prevent future paper leaks. The NTA Director General told the parliamentary panel that the NEET-UG question paper had not been leaked “through their system” and that the matter remained under CBI investigation.
The Congress said it was “shocked” by reports that top NTA officials had informed a Parliamentary committee that the question paper had not been leaked.
In a post on X, Mr. Ramesh alleged that a “guess paper” containing questions that later appeared in the actual examination had been circulating among students well before the test. “Since the NTA was formed in 2018, the Modi government and its ecosystem have been colluding with the paper leak mafia to suppress the truth of rampant irregularities and fraud in NTA-conducted exams,” he alleged.
Calling the reported remarks of the NTA Director General “scandalous and shockingly dishonest”, Mr. Ramesh said, “If that is not a leak, what is? Why is the Modi government trying to deny it now?”
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On CBI’s role
The Congress leader also questioned the role of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the matter, pointing to its closure report on the cancelled UGC-NET 2024 examination. He said the agency had claimed there were no irregularities in the examination and noted that, when asked by a Delhi court to furnish a written explanation for the closure report, the CBI had sought more time.
“While the Court has thankfully pulled up the CBI for this delay, the CBI’s actions inspire no confidence in the agency’s motivation to do justice to its ongoing probes into NEET,” he said, adding, “Both the ‘Pradhan Mantri’ and the ‘Mantri Pradhan’ must be held accountable for this colossal tragedy and its ongoing cover-up.”
Mr. Ramesh pointed to Rajasthan’s Sikar, among the locations linked to alleged irregularities in both years. “For the lakhs of aspiring youth of our country, the NTA has become the National Trauma Agency,” Mr. Ramesh said.
He also criticised institutions under the Education Ministry, including the CBSE, NCERT and Central universities, alleging that “professional excellence is at a discount and ideological affinity commands a premium”.
Published – May 22, 2026 12:05 pm IST
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