The Congress on Wednesday demanded the removal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, accusing him of failing to ensure fair and transparent conduct of examinations and holding him accountable for recurring paper leak controversies and irregularities in national tests.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, party leader and NSUI in-charge Kanhaiya Kumar alleged that repeated examination scandals were eroding students’ faith in the system and contributing to growing distress among young aspirants.
“Every year around this time, the country witnesses controversy over NEET. Papers get leaked, students suffer, but neither does the Education Minister take responsibility nor is strict action taken against those responsible," Kumar said.
The Congress leader claimed that more than 80 examination papers had been leaked in recent years and cited recent controversies surrounding NEET, CBSE and SSC examinations. Referring to reports of overcrowding at an SSC-GD examination centre, he alleged that the government’s inability to conduct examinations smoothly reflected a deeper crisis in the education system.
Kumar questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over what he described as lack of accountability after examination controversies.
“The Prime Minister discusses examinations before they are held, but remains silent after papers are leaked. Students deserve answers," he said.
Linking examination irregularities with the broader issue of student well-being, Kumar claimed that rising incidents of student suicides were closely tied to uncertainty and failures within the education system. He alleged that repeated paper leaks and administrative lapses were jeopardising the future of lakhs of students preparing for competitive examinations.
The Congress leader also targeted the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA), saying questions had repeatedly been raised about its processes and credibility. He suggested that if the agency could not ensure free and fair examinations, the responsibility for conducting such tests should be reviewed.
Calling for stricter measures to curb examination malpractice, Kumar said merely having laws was insufficient unless they were implemented effectively.
He demanded stringent action against those involved in paper leaks and stronger safeguards to protect the integrity of national examinations.
Responding to questions on the Supreme Court’s verdict relating to Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, Kumar said the Congress would issue its official response separately. However, he argued that a broader issue confronting the country was the declining public trust in institutions.
He also dismissed BJP criticism regarding leadership discussions in Karnataka, saying the Congress would address internal organisational matters through its own democratic processes.
Throughout the briefing, Kumar repeatedly argued that education and employment remained among the most important concerns facing India’s youth and accused the government of failing to address those challenges while focusing on publicity and image-building.
“The future of students cannot be sacrificed because of administrative failures. The government must ensure accountability and restore confidence in the examination system," he said.
