BJP-RSS hijacked our educational institutions: Rahul Gandhi

Senior Congress leader and MP Rahul Gandhi sharpened his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government over the NEET-UG paper leak controversy on Thursday, accusing the BJP and the RSS of hijacking the country's educational institutions.

Asserting that "apart from taking action after the paper leak, it is also very important to re-design the system to prevent paper leak", Gandhi added, "The Opposition will try to get these two things done by putting pressure on the government."

Taking a jibe at Modi, Rahul said, "There were claims that Narendra Modi managed to stop the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Gaza conflict. Yet, for some reason, Narendra Modi cannot prevent paper leaks in the country."

The Congress has planned a nationwide protest on the paper leak issue on 21 June. Gandhi said he would also raise the issue in Parliament when the session begins on 24 June.

A paper leak, Rahul emphasised, is an "anti-national activity" as it "severely harms the country's youth, who are the nation's future".

Highlighting the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh, Gandhi, who previously labelled BJP-ruled states as the "epicentre of paper leaks", claimed this issue is now spreading nationwide.

Rahul asserted that students are suffering because the government is not committed to stopping paper leaks, and that PM Modi has "psychologically collapsed".

"Narendra Modi's concept was — marketing worth thousands of crores of rupees and fear. Fear of the agency, fear of the media, fear of the government. His modus operandi is to intimidate people, but now no one is afraid of him. You must have seen that in Benaras, someone threw a chappal (slipper) at his convoy. Narendra Modi's 56-inch chest has now become 30-32 inches," Rahul said.

Since 4 June, when the NEET (National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test) results were announced, the country has seen widespread student protests, amplified by the Opposition. Allegations of massive irregularities have surfaced, with multiple students achieving unprecedented full marks and around 1,500 students receiving grace marks. The students are demanding a retake of the entire exam.

After four arrested individuals in Bihar allegedly confessed that the papers were leaked the night before the exam, the government cancelled the UGC-NET (National Eligibility Test) exam too, acknowledging that its integrity may have been compromised. Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan had previously dismissed the possibility of a paper leak in NEET.

Meanwhile, BJP's media cell chief Amit Malviya accused the Congress and its ally Rashtriya Janata Dal of being responsible for the NEET paper leak.