Cong to launch nationwide campaign from June 30 to demand Pradhan’s resignation over NEET row

Mangalore Today News Network

Ahmedabad, Jun 25, 2026: The Congress on Thursday announced a nationwide campaign from June 30 demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak and calling for a comprehensive overhaul of India’s examination system.

The first phase of the 40-day campaign, titled ’Chhatron Ki Goonj’ (Voice of Students), will conclude with a "Delhi Chalo" protest march on August 9, party leaders said.

Addressing a press conference in Ahmedabad, Congress leader Satej Patil alleged that repeated examination irregularities had created a severe trust deficit among students and put the future of lakhs of aspirants at risk.

Patil said around 23 lakh students appeared for NEET after years of preparation, but only about two lakh would eventually secure admission to medical, dental, AYUSH and allied courses.

"They talk about running a country of 130 crore people, but they cannot even conduct an examination properly for 23 lakh students," he said, criticizing the government’s handling of the examination process.

According to Patil, the issue extends beyond paper leaks and re-examinations, as students have lost confidence that their performance will be assessed fairly.

"The trust students had in the system has been shattered. There is a massive trust deficit among the youth of the country," he said.

The Congress said its outreach campaign will cover 28 cities and engage with students, job aspirants, coaching hubs, college campuses and libraries. Activities beginning June 30 will include leaflet distribution, street-corner meetings and campus outreach programmes.

Patil alleged that paper leaks had become a recurring problem and accused the government of failing to identify and punish the masterminds behind examination scams.

Referring to the NEET controversy, he claimed that while middlemen had been arrested in previous cases, the larger networks involved in such leaks remained untouched.

The party also demanded a thorough inquiry into the functioning of the National Testing Agency, including examination procedures, paper-setting mechanisms, printing and transportation systems, digital infrastructure and vendor contracts.

Patil further alleged a nexus between coaching institutes and examination leak networks.

"Where did the leaked paper come from? Who got it first? This points to a nexus. News of a paper leak emerges, and the next day advertisements appear asking students to rejoin classes in case of a re-exam. This nexus between coaching classes and the system must be broken," he said.

The Congress demanded that Pradhan take responsibility for the alleged failures and step down from his post. The party also called for a fixed annual examination and recruitment calendar with pre-announced dates for exams, results and appointments.

As part of the campaign, Congress will organise demonstrations outside district collector offices in the 28 cities on August 1 before culminating the first phase with the "Delhi Chalo" march on August 9.

Responding to a question on student suicides, Patil said the party would consider proposals for counselling mechanisms to support students and help restore their confidence.

He said the immediate objective of the campaign was to assure students that their concerns were being heard while pressing the government to address systemic shortcomings in the examination process.