Cong demands Pradhan’s resignation, alleges BJP has betrayed students
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 25 Jun: Congress today launched its nationwide ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ (Voice of Students) campaign, a 40-day outreach programme that will be conducted across 28 major cities of the country to engage with students, competitive examination aspirants, coaching hubs, college campuses, libraries and youth groups. While announcing the campaign, Congress leaders placed their demands before the Centre and launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led government over alleged failures in the examination and recruitment system.
Addressing the media here on the occasion, Rajya Sabha MP Ranjeet Ranjan and Chairman of the Election Campaign Committee and member of the Central Election Committee Pritam Singh alleged that repeated incidents of paper leaks, cancellation of examinations, delays in declaration of results, stalled recruitment processes and the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA) have severely affected the future of students and the job aspirants across the country. They asserted that students were not seeking favours from the government but were demanding fair examinations and timely recruitment opportunities.
Pritam Singh on this occasion demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and called for an impartial investigation into the alleged links between paper leak syndicates, vendor agencies, officials and any possible political patronage. The party also sought a complete overhaul of the examination system, including a comprehensive review of the NTA, paper-setting mechanisms, printing and transportation processes, examination centres, digital systems and vendor contracts and application of safeguards at every stage. The party further demanded the implementation of a fixed annual examination and recruitment calendar under which examination dates, result dates and appointment timelines should be declared in advance and adhered to strictly.
Pritam Singh alleged that the most unfortunate aspect of the issue is the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this issue. He claimed that despite students protesting on the streets, families facing distress, suicides being reported and examinations becoming a subject of controversy, the PM has not considered it necessary to make any statement on the matter. He alleged that the silence of those in power reflected that the suffering of the youth was not among their priorities.
Launching a scathing attack on the BJP government, Rajya Sabha Ranjeet Ranjan alleged that the NTA, which was introduced in the name of transparency and reform, had today become a ‘National Trauma Agency’ for crores of students. She claimed that more than 89 paper leak incidents and examination scams had surfaced across the country in recent years, yet no major kingpin, political patron or organised network behind such crimes had been exposed. She also claimed that so far only minor intermediaries and agents have been arrested while the principal accused and their alleged political protectors have escaped accountability.
Referring to the NEET UG 2026 paper leak controversy, she described it as the biggest example of what she termed a deeply compromised examination system. She said lakhs of students had invested years of hard work while crores of families had put their lifetime savings at stake, only for the examination process to be undermined by corruption. She further alleged that more than 20 students across the country had died by suicide following the controversy, including Riya Thapa of Dehradun. According to her, several suicide notes reportedly referred to despair caused by the system and uncertainty about the future.
Questioning the government’s accountability, she said that, if the deaths of more than 20 students, the future of lakhs of young people and the erosion of public trust in the examination system are still not enough to compel a minister to resign, then the very meaning of accountability stands diminished. As part of the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj movement, the Congress appealed to the students across the country to join the campaign. The party released a missed-call number, 9873036161, and urged students to register themselves through the campaign website.
Among those present during the press conference were programme convenor Sumittar Bhullar, Mahila Congress president Jyoti Rautela, National Secretary of the Communication Department Vaibhav Walia, spokesperson Garima Mehra Dasauni, spokesperson Abhinav Thapar, Youth Congress president Vishal Singh Bhojak, NSUI president Vikas Negi, Minority Cell president Suleman Ansari, National Coordinator of the Scheduled Caste Cell Nanak Chand, Dehradun Metropolitan president Dr Jaswinder Goggi, General Secretary Sanjay Paliwal, Godavari Thapli, Coordination and Operations Committee convenor Ishita Seda and several other party leaders and workers.
