NEW DELHI: The Congress on Saturday alleged that the “Pradhan Mantri-Mantri Pradhan jugalbandi” was destroying the hopes and aspirations of lakhs of young people by “messing up” the education system, encouraging the “infiltration of third-rate academics” and enabling “large-scale corruption”.
The accusation came after CUET-UG 2026 admissions tests were delayed at some centres on Saturday due to a technical glitch.
AICC General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, said, “After NEET and CBSE comes CUET. The Modi government is clearly in damage control mode. The Mantri Pradhan of course has been thoroughly discredited and exposed for his incompetence, arrogance, and callousness.”
“He is beyond saving in public estimation and even the cheerleaders and drumbeaters are ready to cut him loose,” Ramesh said in a swipe at Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
“They are now focused on salvaging the image of the Pradhan Mantri — who has been absolutely silent and indifferent to the sufferings of millions of students, but is allegedly monitoring the situation closely,” the Congress leader said.
“The use of the Indian armed forces to manage the logistics of the NEET-UG on June 21 is only an attempt to capitalise on their integrity and efficiency. It is more for optics than meaningful change,” he added.
Ramesh further claimed that the NEET-UG paper leak earlier this month occurred at the level of paper-setters and translators, not during the transportation of question papers.
“The focus should be on disrupting the NTA’s corrupt army of contractors and outsourced staff. But the Modi government is letting them go scot-free because it is an open secret that most of them are politically connected,” he alleged.
Earlier on Friday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of having “completely destroyed” the country’s education system and said the government had failed to conduct even a single examination properly despite claiming to make India a “vishwaguru”.
