New Delhi: The BJP on Saturday hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his criticism of the government on the NEET-UG 2026 issue, saying the Modi government acted swiftly against irregularities and stands firmly with students.
The ruling party's response came after Gandhi on Saturday demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi immediately sack Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan or take personal accountability, and alleged that the "BJP-RSS nexus" has destroyed India's education system.
The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)-UG test held on May 3 was cancelled following allegations of irregularities in the examination process.
Also Read: NEET paper leak: Delhi court sends kingpin P V Kulkarni, accused Waghmare to 10-day CBI custody
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari accused the Congress of politicising the issue and said the government had immediately taken corrective and punitive measures after irregularities surfaced in the medical entrance exam.
In a post on X, Bhandari said the government promptly cancelled the exam after reports of irregularities and announced a re-exam on June 21 without placing any additional burden on students.
"Stop politicising Rahul Gandhi. Congress has once again chosen politics over the future of 22 lakh students," he said.
"Before lecturing others, Congress must answer for its own disastrous record on paper leaks and exam scams," Bhandari said, while listing alleged past incidents including AIPMT leaks, SSC scams, CBSE paper leaks and multiple recruitment exam irregularities in Congress-ruled states.
Also Read: NEET UG 2026 new exam date announced: NTA to conduct re-examination on June 21 after paper leak row
The BJP spokesperson said the Centre handed the case to the CBI soon after the allegations surfaced, and Union Education Minister Pradhan publicly addressed the issue and accepted responsibility.
Bhandari also referred to arrests made in connection with the alleged paper leak racket.
He claimed that operatives linked to Jaipur, Gurugram, Nashik and other locations have also been arrested.
"This is not a cover-up. This is not silence. This is action," Bhandari said.
"The Modi government stands firmly with honest students, not with paper leak mafias and political opportunists," he added.
Earlier, the leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said the hard work of 22 lakh NEET aspirants had gone to waste.
"The whole country knows that two days before NEET, the question paper was being distributed on WhatsApp. Dharmendra Pradhan ji says he has nothing to do with the matter. The (Parliamentary) committee had made recommendations, but he put it in the dustbin on the pretext that opposition people were on the committee and that it was of no use," Gandhi said in a video statement.
"The truth is that you (government) have damaged the core of India. This is a nexus of the RSS, the BJP and their people that have been installed in universities, vice chancellors and professors, to mint money," the former Congress president said.
Pradhan Friday announced that the NEET-UG re-exam would be held on June 21 and the test would be computer-based from next year onwards as part of reforms.
