PM Modi's 'Amrit Kaal' turning 'poison for country': Rahul Gandhi slams NEET paper leak

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday sharply criticised the Centre following the cancellation of the NEETUG 2026 examination describing the controversy as a ldquocrimerdquo against the future of millions of studentsIn a post on social media platform X the Congress MP accused the BJPled government of failing to protect the integrity of the countryrsquos education system and said Prime Minister Narendra Modirsquos vision of ldquoAmrit Kaalrdquo had turned into a ldquopoison erardquo for the countryrsquos youthThe remarks came after the Centre cancelled the NEETUG 2026 examination amid allegations of paper leaks and examination irregularitiesRahul Gandhi says students and parents suffered due to exam controversyRahul Gandhi said more than 22 lakh students had been affected by the cancellation of the medical entrance examinationAccording to him students and parents made enormous sacrifices for the exam including taking loans and selling jewellery to afford coaching and preparation expensesHe alleged that despite years of hard work and preparation students were ultimately confronted with paper leaks negligence and organised corruption in the education sectorThe Congress leader also criticised repeated incidents of examination leaks across the country and claimed that students were being forced to bear the consequences while those responsible escaped accountabilityHe further said repeated irregularities were creating uncertainty financial stress and emotional pressure for students preparing for competitive examinationsCentre cancels NEETUG 2026 examinationEarlier in the day the National Testing Agency NTA announced the cancellation of the NEETUG 2026 examination conducted on May 3In an official statement the NTA said the decision was taken after reviewing inputs from central agencies and findings shared by law enforcement authorities regarding alleged irregularities in the examination processThe agency said the government had decided that the examination could not continue in its present form due to concerns over transparency and fairnessThe NEETUG examination will now be conducted again on dates to be announced separatelyCBI to probe allegations linked to NEET paper leakThe Government of India has also referred the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation CBI for a comprehensive inquiry into the allegationsThe NTA said it would fully cooperate with the investigation and provide all relevant records and materials required by the agencyThe examination authority acknowledged the inconvenience caused to students and parents but maintained that the cancellation was necessary to preserve trust in the examination systemOfficials clarified that students would not need to register again for the reexamination Existing registration details and examination centre preferences would remain validThe NTA also announced that examination fees already paid by candidates would be refundedOver 22 lakh students appeared for NEETUG 2026NEETUG is the single national entrance examination for admission to MBBS BDS and other undergraduate medical programmes across IndiaThe 2026 examination was conducted on May 3 in penandpaper mode at more than 5400 centres across 551 cities in India and 14 international citiesAccording to official figures nearly 2279 lakh students appeared for the examination this year making it one of the largest entrance tests conducted in the country