New Delhi, August 9, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Opposition parties, led by the Congress, on Sunday criticised former Union Education Minister and BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan over his remarks that some people had attempted to mislead members of Gen Z during protests linked to the NEET paper leak controversy.
Pradhan had made the comments during a programme at Gangadhar Meher University in Sambalpur on Saturday.
“I believe that some people tried to mislead our Gen Z,” he said.
Congress MP Manoj Kumar questioned Pradhan over the circumstances surrounding the NEET controversy and asked whether the paper leak had been confirmed and whether the millions of students who appeared for the examination had suffered.
“Who misled them?” Kumar asked, referring also to reports of student suicides linked to examination-related distress.
Speaking to IANS, Kumar said students were the future of the country and argued that they were aware of developments around them and did not need to be misled.
He also pointed to the ongoing agitation by students in Jharkhand, saying multiple rounds of talks had taken place between the students and the state government. He questioned why similar engagement had not taken place with protesting students in Delhi.
Congress MP Manish Tewari called on Pradhan to introspect over the circumstances that led to a major student movement during his tenure as Education Minister.
“He should think about the mistakes he made during his tenure as the Education Minister of the country? What were the shortcomings?” Tewari said.
He described the NEET paper leak controversy as a reflection of serious problems within India’s education system and said the issue required careful examination.
CPI-M MP V. Sivadasan said Pradhan’s assessment of the student protests was “completely wrong”. He claimed students had raised genuine concerns and alleged that examination papers had been leaked under the government’s policies, resulting in more than 50 re-examinations.
CPI-M leader Hannan Mollah also rejected the suggestion that students had been provoked by others. He held Pradhan responsible for student suicides and claimed that his tenure had adversely affected the future of many students.
Shiv Sena-UBT MP Sanjay Raut said that if Gen Z had been provoked, the BJP-led government itself was responsible, alleging that the handling of the Education Ministry, NEET paper leaks and repeated postponement of examinations had contributed to the protests.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari also criticised Pradhan, saying he had expected the former Education Minister to reconsider his position after leaving office.
Tiwari alleged that education had been commercialised during Pradhan’s tenure and accused the former minister of failing to protect the independence of the education system.
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