New Delhi, May 27 (IANS) Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar on Wednesday slammed the National Testing Agency (NTA) over the NEET paper leak controversy, alleging that the agency and the government were trying to avoid accountability.

Speaking to IANS, Kanhaiya Kumar said, “According to them, what does a paper leak even mean? In their opinion, a paper leak only happens when a question paper gets printed in a newspaper. Questions are continuously being raised about the NTA chief. He has political ties with the BJP and the RSS. The NTA is entrusted with the responsibility of conducting every important examination in this country, yet they are unable to conduct even a single exam properly.”

He further said that instead of making excuses, the authorities should take responsibility for the controversy surrounding the examination.

“Instead of making excuses, they should be held accountable. The NTA and Education Minister Pradhan should answer these questions. Prime Minister Modi should also respond. Before every exam, you conduct ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’, but whenever a paper leak takes place, the reels and campaigns suddenly go silent. The government should be made accountable and action should be taken,” he told IANS.

Kumar also questioned the agency’s stand on the issue and said, “When almost all the questions are leaked, then if this is not called a paper leak, what will it be called?”

The remarks come amid continuing controversy over the NEET-UG 2026 examination and allegations of irregularities in the conduct of the test.

On Monday, the Supreme Court observed that it was “sad” that no lessons had been learnt from previous instances of NEET paper leak cases while hearing a plea against the NTA, the central body responsible for conducting the examination.

Earlier, on May 22, the NTA had informed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education that no full-fledged paper leak had occurred in the controversial NEET-UG 2026 examination. The agency maintained that “only certain questions came out” and described the issue as instances of malpractice rather than a complete paper leak.

The NEET-UG 2026 examination, an all-India pre-medical entrance test, was cancelled following allegations of a major paper leak and the circulation of a “guess paper” that reportedly matched several actual exam questions. The controversy triggered investigations by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and parliamentary scrutiny of the NTA.

Amid widespread protests by students and parents, the NTA later announced that the re-examination would be conducted on June 21.

–IANS

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