Congress demands Union Education Minister's resignation over alleged NEET irregularities, launches nationwide protest campaign

The Congress party has demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and other national-level examinations, announcing a 40-day nationwide agitation that will culminate in a massive student protest in Delhi on August 9.

Kerala Higher Education Minister Roji M John and All India Youth Congress National General Secretary Lenin Prasad made the announcement while launching the Congress' 'Students' Voice' (Maanavargalin Kural) campaign, aimed at highlighting alleged examination malpractices and calling for comprehensive reforms in India's entrance examination system.

Congress alleges repeated NEET irregularities

Addressing reporters at the Chennai Press Club, the Congress leaders alleged that repeated irregularities, including question paper leaks in recent years, have severely undermined the credibility of NEET and other competitive examinations.

Roji M John claimed that the NEET examination scheduled for May 2026 had to be cancelled following an alleged paper leak. He further alleged that similar incidents had occurred during 2024 and 2025, raising concerns about the security and integrity of national entrance examinations.

Referring to earlier controversies, John said that individuals involved in the 2014 NEET paper leak were arrested but questioned the lack of public information regarding subsequent action against those responsible.

Student distress and financial burden highlighted

The Congress leaders argued that repeated disruptions have imposed a significant emotional and financial burden on students and their families.

According to John, many aspirants spend between ₹5 lakh and ₹6 lakh on coaching, study material, accommodation, and examination preparation. He further alleged that repeated examination failures and cancellations have resulted in the wastage of nearly ₹3 lakh crore in public resources.

Criticising the examination system, he said that despite India's ambitions under the Digital India programme, authorities have struggled to conduct high-stakes national examinations without controversy.

Demand for exam reforms

The Congress has called for a comprehensive overhaul of the examination system administered by the Union government.

Its key demands include:

• Resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged accountability failures.
• A transparent and secure mechanism for conducting NEET and other national-level entrance examinations.
• A predictable annual examination calendar to minimise uncertainty for students.
• Stronger safeguards to prevent paper leaks and other examination malpractices.

The party said its 40-day campaign will involve awareness programmes, student outreach initiatives, and protests across multiple states before culminating in a national demonstration in Delhi on August 9.

The latest political campaign comes amid continuing debates over the conduct of competitive examinations in India, with calls from various stakeholders for greater transparency, accountability, and stronger security measures in the country's entrance examination system.