BJP has failed first test of accountability by not seeking Pradhan's resignation: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday accused the BJP-led government of failing the “first test of accountability” by not seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan amid a series of controversies over examinations and recruitment processes.

Kharge also criticised the government's decision to temporarily restrict access to the Telegram messaging platform ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-test scheduled for 21 June.

In a post on X, the Congress chief said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should first seek Pradhan's resignation instead of focusing on temporary measures.

“The Modi government has temporarily blocked Telegram for the NEET re-test. Modi ji should first demand the resignation of his Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who has blocked the future of millions of youth,” Kharge said.

He alleged that repeated examination irregularities had exposed deep-rooted problems in the system and accused the government of failing to act against those responsible.

“Whether it is deploying the Indian Air Force, blocking Telegram, or catching small fish while protecting the paper leak mafia, the government is being forced to take these steps because, over the last 10 years, 90 paper leaks have occurred and nine crore youth have suffered because of this fraud and corruption,” he said.

“How long will this government continue to cover up its failures?” Kharge asked.

The Congress leader also referred to reports of student distress linked to examination controversies, claiming that several young people had died by suicide following irregularities in recruitment and entrance examinations.

“Modi ji does not utter a single word. There are countless candidates whose parents took loans to support years of preparation, only to see examinations such as NEET, SSC, UGC-NET and CUET become mired in paper leak allegations,” he said.

Kharge further alleged that irregularities had affected multiple examination systems, including the CBSE evaluation process and even the UPSC examination system, which he described as a symbol of credibility.

“The country's aware youth is demanding just one thing — the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan. It has become the first test of accountability. Unfortunately, the BJP has completely failed this exam,” he said.

The Congress has been demanding Pradhan's resignation over alleged irregularities linked to NEET, paper leaks, recruitment examinations and the recent controversy surrounding CBSE's on-screen marking system.

The party has also announced a nationwide outreach campaign on the issue. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to address student conventions beginning in Kota on 17 June as part of efforts to mobilise students and job aspirants around concerns over examination integrity and recruitment processes.