A day after the National Testing Agency canceled the NEET-UG 2026 exam conducted on May 3 amid allegations of question paper leak, Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary D Raja demanded accountability and called for a thorough investigation. He said the cancellation indicated that the BJP-led central government is not serious about the future of the students.
Raja told ANI, “This shows the government’s insensitivity towards the lives of our students; their future is being played with. Who should be held responsible for the cancellation of exams due to question paper leak and other irregularities? There should be a comprehensive investigation, the truth should come out. We should be sensitive and responsible in strengthening our education system.”
Raja’s comments come after the central government decided to cancel the NEET-UG 2026 exam, scheduled to be held on May 3. The move was taken following allegations related to leakage of documents and irregularities. The National Testing Agency (NTA) said the decision was taken after examining inputs received in coordination with central agencies, and findings shared by law enforcement agencies raised concerns over the fairness of the examination process.
The agency clarified that the registration data, candidature details and examination centers chosen by the candidates for the May 2026 session will remain valid for re-examination. Fresh registration will not be required and no additional fees will be charged. After the exam was cancelled, opposition leaders launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led central government. Congress leader P Chidambaram demanded cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 and suggested handing over the exam authority back to state governments, saying national entrance exams conducted on a large scale are highly vulnerable to question paper leaks.
In a post on Twitter, Chidambaram wrote, “NEET-UG 2026 exam was held on May 3, 2026. The exam was conducted at more than 5,432 centres. These centers were located in 551 cities in India and 14 cities abroad, in which approximately 22.79 lakh registered students participated.”
“It is a well-known fact that when such an examination is conducted over such a large geographical area, the chances of question paper leaks are very high. Such incidents have happened in the past as well. The solution is not to try to stop the leaks. The solution is to abolish NEET, hand over the power back to the states and for the NTA to ensure that the quality and standards of the state-level examinations are uniformly high,” the post read.
Meanwhile, the BJP government announced that the exam will be re-conducted later and handed it over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a detailed investigation into the paper leak case.
