Union Minister for Power, Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday assured students and parents, who are worried and tense after the cancellation of the NEET UG-2026 examination, that strict action would be taken against all those involved in the NEET paper leak case. “No culprit will be spared, and the Union Government has already transferred the matter to the CBI for investigation,” said Khattar in response to a question asked by media persons regarding students committing suicides.
The cancellation of the NEET UG-2026 examination by the National Testing Agency (NTA) following reports of a large-scale paper leak has triggered anger, stress and uncertainty among students and parents.
Khattar acknowledged the anxiety and frustration among students after the cancellation of the NEET examination. “Such incidents sometimes occur and unfortunately turn into a major crisis. What happened is not good,” he said. Appealing to students to remain patient and courageous, Khattar said the examination would be conducted again soon and justice would be ensured.
“I appeal to the youth to face such situations with courage and confidence. Those who carried out this shameful act will not be spared under any circumstances,” he said. Khattar said that a committee has also been formed to examine the matter, while the investigation is now with the CBI.
Khattar visited the residence of Karnal Mayor Renu Bala Gupta and BJP’s former district working president, Brij Gupta to express condolences over the demise of their sister-in-law (bhabhi), Usha Gupta, who died last week. He also attended the BJP’s training workshop and interacted with party workers.
Referring to Congress leader and former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s statement suggesting that he should retire from politics, Khattar said that Hooda is older than him and that he would retire at the same age when Hooda decides to step away from politics.
Khattar also attracted attention for travelling with a significantly smaller convoy during his Karnal visit. Only two vehicles were seen accompanying his convoy, with visibly reduced security arrangements. “It was in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to reduce unnecessary fuel consumption amid rising global energy concerns and tensions in West Asia,” he said.
Responding to remarks made by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is advocating “work from home” while himself travelling abroad for work, Khattar said that certain work cannot be done from home and that one has to travel for it. “There are many important responsibilities in society that require physical presence and must be carried out on-site. Only those tasks which can effectively be handled from home should be done,” he said. He pointed out that he himself had visited a training camp, which could not have been managed through work from home.
On Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s proposal to provide financial incentives for larger families, Manohar Lal said that every state can have its own viewpoint on population issues. He said that India’s population should be viewed as an asset rather than a burden.
