Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi described the Education Ministry as “disaster management” and attacked the BJP-led Central government over NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) use of On-screen Marking (OSM) system and lower pass percentage in Class 12 compared to last year, in addition to the board’s new mandate requiring Class 9 and 10 students to study three languages.
His remarks come amid mounting backlash against the National Testing Agency (NTA) and the Education Ministry over the leak of NEET-UG 2026 papers, the exam for which nearly 23,000 candidates registered.
Meanwhile, controversies have erupted over CBSE for two reasons. First, to use an on-screen marking system to evaluate the results of Class 12 board examinations, which resulted in a significant drop in the overall pass percentage this year to 85.2%, the lowest level seen in the past seven years. Secondly, requiring ninth and tenth grade students to study three languages, R1, R2 and R3, of which at least two must be national languages.
Rahul Gandhi attacks the Centre: What did he say?
The Congress leader described the Education Ministry as “disaster management” while saying Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan “has failed every age group of India’s students at one time”.
He also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asked him to apologize for “destroying the future of thousands of children.”
In a post on Exams…three age groups.
“Dharmendra Pradhan ji has not failed once. He has failed every age group of India’s students simultaneously. Every announcement plunges children into uncertainty. Every failure goes unpunished. The education ministry has become a disaster department.”
He added: “Prime Minister Modi ji – can you at least apologize to the thousands of children whose future you and your minister have destroyed?”
The Congressman ended his post with the hashtag “#SackPradhan.”
Kejriwal’s Appeal to NEET-UG Students
AAP president Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday joined other opposition leaders targeting the Center over the paper leak issue, urging students in a video message shared on X to “come together and find a way forward”.
“Phone calls are coming in saying that many students are depressed and stressed due to the cancellation issue. In the past few days, there have been reports of four students dying due to suicide… First of all, I want to ask all students that if you are feeling depressed, please share your feelings with me.”
“We will work together to find a solution. You are all educated and sensible people. Together we will figure out how to improve NEET,” he urged the students.
What did the center say in the three cases?
Pradhan on Friday announced that the re-test of NEET-UG will be conducted on June 21. He said the medical entrance test will shift to a computer-based format from next year as part of the planned reforms.
“Our top priority is the future of students. I want to appeal to the community, especially all students, to appear for the exam without fear. The government stands with you. We will not allow malpractice to happen this time,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is investigating the paper leak case and has arrested two ‘masterminds’, PV Kulkarni and Manisha Gurunath Mandhar, both of whom are linked to the screening exercise through the National Testing Agency.
So far, nine people from five states have been arrested. Those arrested include Mandhari, Kulkarni and Waghmare from Pune, Dhananjay Lokhanda from Ahilyanagar, Khirnar from Nashik, Mangilal Bewal, also known as Mangilal Khatik, Vikas Bewal and Dinesh Bewal from Jaipur, and Yadav from Gurugram.
Under criticism for the decline in the overall pass percentage of Class 12, the Central Board of Secondary Education and the Education Ministry have defended the use of the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, saying it was brought in to improve “transparency, fairness and consistency” in the assessment process.
As part of the OSM process, answer sheets were scanned and uploaded to a digital platform where teachers scanned them on computer screens. The system aims to reduce errors in grossing, posting and uploading by ensuring that each answer is checked according to the specified marking scheme, as previously reported by HT.
Meanwhile, CBSE is also facing criticism from the opposition over its three-language policy, including at least two indigenous Indian languages. The policy, which includes at least two indigenous Indian languages, will become mandatory for Class IX students from July 1 this year, even though schools have already started classes and unit tests for the new academic session.
“In order to adequately address the competencies envisaged at the secondary level, these textbooks will be supplemented with one appropriate local or state literary material, selected by the schools, such as short stories, poems or non-fiction works,” a circular issued by the council said.
The board also said that to ensure students remain focused on learning and avoid putting additional pressure on them, no board examination for R3 will be conducted at the Class 10 level.
With input from agencies
