Congress attacks Centre over NTA remarks on NEET paper leak claims

The Congress criticised the Centre over claims by NTA officials that the NEET-UG 2026 paper was not leaked. Jairam Ramesh alleged a cover-up, accused the government of colluding with the paper leak mafia, and demanded accountability from the Prime Minister and Education Minister

New Delhi: The Congress on Friday said it was shocked over claims made by top NTA officials that the NEET exam paper was “not leaked” and said both the ‘Pradhan Mantri’ and the ‘Mantri Pradhan’ must be held accountable for this “cover-up”.

The Congress also said that the National Testing Agency (NTA) has become a “National Trauma Agency” and accused the government of colluding with the paper leak mafia to suppress the truth about irregularities and fraud.

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In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said a “guess paper” featuring questions that appeared in the actual exam was circulating among students much before the exam date.

“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 in his post.

“Today, we have learnt from media reports that the NTA Director General claimed yesterday before a Parliamentary Committee that the NEET-UG 2026 exam paper was not leaked.

“If true, this is scandalous and shockingly dishonest because it is clear that a ‘guess paper’, which featured dozens of questions that appeared in the actual exam, was circulating among students much before the exam date. If that is not a leak, what is? Why is the Modi government trying to deny it now?” Ramesh said.

He alleged that the Modi government had previously tried to “cover up” the widespread irregularities that had emerged in NEET-UG 2024 as well.

“If it had faced up to the truth and taken action then, the NEET 2026 tragedy may have been avoided. The same hotspots of reported fraud which emerged in 2024, like Rajasthan’s Sikar, have been implicated in the 2026 scandal as well,” he said.

The Congress leader said in another episode of the same “disturbing series”, the CBI also filed a closure report alleging no irregularities in the UGC-NET exam of 2024, which had been cancelled by the NTA then.

When asked by a Delhi court to provide a written explanation for its closure report, the CBI sought more time, he said.

“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.

“For the lakhs of aspiring youth of our country, the NTA has become the National Trauma Agency,” Ramesh said.

The CBSE, NCERT and other institutions of the Education Ministry, including Central Universities, are no better, he said.

“The Education Minister is presiding over a system in which professional excellence is at a discount and where ideological affinity commands a premium,” he claimed.

“Both the Pradhan Mantri and the Mantri Pradhan must be held accountable for this colossal tragedy and its ongoing cover-up,” Ramesh said.

Several Members of Parliament grilled top NTA officials on Thursday, with the agency’s Director General telling them that the NEET-UG paper was not leaked through their system and that the CBI is probing the matter, sources said.

During a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, several MPs questioned the NTA officials on the steps taken to strengthen the exam system in order to prevent paper leaks in the future.