Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday slammed the government over the NEET-UG paper leak controversy and called the repeated lapses “a betrayal of an entire generation”.
Speaking about the alleged irregularities
in national-level examinations, Tharoor said, “If you run a process where the integrity of the examinations cannot be trusted, where you are in a situation where, tragically, people who have spent so much effort in preparing suddenly find that there are leaks, there is corruption, there is dishonesty, and that the entire process is vitiated, sometimes exams are cancelled, and they have to start all over again.”
He raised questions over the credibility of the examination system in India in comparison to other countries.
“The world is full of competitive examinations that are conducted fairly, whether it’s the SAT, the Cambridge exams or the ISC or whatever,” Tharoor said.
Also Read: ‘Whether System Compromised Or Govt, Students Suffer’: Parliamentary Panel Stresses Transparent Re-NEET
“Why is it that it’s only something that our government administers that is constantly being messed up? Why is the government in a situation where it is not able to guarantee the fairness and integrity of such a simple process as a national examination?” the Congress MP asked.
Not First Time, But Must Be Last Time: Tharoor On Paper Leak
The Congress MP said that the Centre is responsible for the recurring crises.
“It is honestly a deficiency of the government, and the government should be responsible and take action to fix the problem. Otherwise, it’s a betrayal of an entire generation. We can only blame the government,” Tharoor said.
“The government, the ministry, the NTA, all the people responsible for a situation where what is conducted in every other country in the world in India, somehow, is done with this shameless leaking and incompetence. I think the government, which is headed by Prime Minister Modi, has an overall responsibility. This must never happen again. This is not the first time, but it must be the last time,” he added.
Also Read: NEET-UG 2026: Supreme Court Rejects Plea For Re-Test In CBT Mode, Hearing Deferred To July
The remarks come against the backdrop of continuing controversy over NEET-UG 2026, which has been rescheduled for June 21 after allegations of paper leaks and administrative irregularities.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently probing the matter and has arrested several individuals in connection with the case, while student protests have escalated in multiple parts of the country.
With inputs from ANI.
