Lucknow: Alleging that question paper leaks and examination irregularities surfaced in several NEET examinations over the years, the UP Congress on Saturday demanded the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.“Reports of question paper leaks emerged on social media, and the Centre was eventually forced to cancel the NEET examination and order a re-test. Repeated lapses in national-level examinations point to systemic failures in the examination process,” said UP Congress president Ajay Rai.The Congress leader further said that the govt’s failure affected the future of lakhs of students and cited alleged irregularities in various recruitment examinations, including those for revenue officials, police recruitment and other competitive tests conducted in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere. He claimed that paper leaks undermined the credibility of the recruitment system.Rai alleged that several students across the country faced severe mental stress due to examination-related controversies. He said the Congress viewed the issue as a consequence of administrative failure and demanded greater accountability from the authorities responsible for conducting examinations.Linking the issue to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ongoing outreach to students, Rai said the party launched the “Chhatron Ki Goonj” campaign to gather suggestions on reforms in the education and examination systems. He said the initiative was aimed at building pressure for changes in the way competitive examinations are conducted.The UP Congress chief also questioned the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts NEET and several other entrance examinations. He alleged that the agency repeatedly came under scrutiny following examination controversies and called for stronger oversight mechanisms.Rai further criticised what he described as the increasing privatisation of education and the rising cost of exam preparation, claiming that families were being forced to spend substantial amounts on coaching and schooling.
