Congress MLA and All India Congress Committee secretary Pargat Singh criticised the Central Government over the NEET controversy and repeated paper leak incidents. He said the country’s national examination system has failed and students are suffering because of poor management by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
Addressing a press conference in Hoshiarpur, Pargat Singh said the NTA has failed to conduct fair and transparent examinations. He said several national-level exams, including NEET-UG and UGC-NET, have faced paper leak allegations, forcing authorities to cancel or postpone examinations.
The former Punjab Education Minister demanded the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. He also called for an investigation into the Education Minister’s alleged links with the paper leak mafia. Pargat Singh further demanded major reforms in the examination system to prevent future paper leaks.
He urged the Centre to announce a fixed annual calendar for NEET-UG, UGC-NET and government recruitment examinations. According to him, examination dates should be declared well in advance, with clear timelines for recruitment and appointments.
Pargat Singh said more than 22 lakh families spend nearly Rs 1.32 lakh crore every year on NEET preparation. He claimed this amount is almost equal to India’s annual education budget of around Rs 1.40 lakh crore. He said parents are spending huge amounts on coaching and preparation, but many students still face uncertainty because of paper leaks and delays.
Quoting media reports, he claimed that India has witnessed 89 suspected paper leak cases in the last ten years, affecting nearly 6.2 crore students. Many examinations were cancelled, postponed or conducted again due to alleged leaks.
Pargat Singh said Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and the Congress Party would continue to raise the issues of students and young people until they get justice and their future is protected. Former minister Sundar Sham Arora, District Congress president Daljit Singh Gillzian, former MLAs Pawan Kumar Adia and Indu Bala, and others were also present.
