"Education Emergency, Paper Leak Government": Opposition Reacts To UGC-NET Exam Cancellation

The shocking cancellation of the UGC-NET 2024 exam conducted on June 18 has taken many by surprise while leaving thousands of aspirants in frustration. The education ministry last night announced the cancellation saying that the exam integrity was compromised. Notably, the latest incident happened amid protests over the NEET exam result declaration, with students pointing out the discrepancies in the result.

However, the cancellation of UGC-NET on the heels of the allegations of unfair means and suspected paper leak of the NEET exam has stirred an uproar against the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts these exams, and the central governments. While the enraged students, who diligently prepared and attended the exam, are expressing their irritation over social media, where the opposition parties have also joined them, taking the matter seriously and demanding accountability for the recent fiascos in education department.

Read more: UGC NET Cancelled: NSUI Calls for Immediate Action Against NTA

In an X (formerly Twitter) post, the Congress called the ruling dispensation a ‘Paper Leak Government’ while alleging that it was playing with the future of the youth. “Yesterday UGC-NET exam was conducted in various cities of the country. Today the exam was cancelled due to suspicion of paper leak. First the NEET paper was leaked and now UGC-NET paper. Modi Government has become a ‘Paper Leak Government’,” Congress tweeted.

मोदी सरकार युवाओं के भविष्य के साथ खिलवाड़ कर रही है.

कल देश के विभिन्न शहरों में UGC-NET की परीक्षा कराई गई. आज पेपर लीक के शक में परीक्षा रद्द कर दी गई.

पहले NEET का पेपर लीक हुआ और अब UGC-NET का.

मोदी सरकार- ‘पेपर लीक सरकार’ बन गई है. pic.twitter.com/JZyESdOpMm

— Congress (@INCIndia) June 19, 2024

Taking to X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge asked the Prime Minister to take responsibility for stopping the government’s “rigging and paper leak in NEET exam too.”

“You “discuss exams” a lot, when will you “discuss NEET exam”? Cancellation of UGC-NET exam is a victory of the spirit of millions of students. This is the defeat of the arrogance of the Modi government due to which they made a despicable attempt to trample the future of our youth. The Union Education Minister had earlier said that no paper was leaked in NEET. When arrests are made of education mafia in Bihar, Gujarat and Haryana, the Education Minister accepts that some scam has taken place! When will the NEET exam be cancelled?”,  Kharge said in the tweet.

.@narendramodi जी,

आप “परीक्षा पर चर्चा” तो बहुत करते हैं, “NEET परीक्षा पर चर्चा” कब करेंगे?

UGC-NET परीक्षा को रद्द करना लाखों छात्र-छात्राओं के जज़्बे की जीत है।

ये मोदी सरकार के अहंकार की हार है जिसके चलते उन्होंने हमारे युवाओं के भविष्य को रौंदने का कुत्सित प्रयास…

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) June 19, 2024

Congress general secretary in charge of communication Jairam Ramesh said that the government cannot even conduct an examination without leaks and frauds despite “the non-biological PM conducts a grand tamasha of what he calls ‘Pareeksha pe Charcha,’ every year.”

“The NEET UG 2024 Examination faces very serious questions that even the Education Minister has been forced to acknowledge. The integrity of the National Testing Agency (NGA) is under severe doubt. • Now UGC-NET conducted just day before yesterday has been cancelled last night. In fact, the non-biological PM’s Government has been ruinous for India’s education system – • The CUET (Common University Entrance Test) has made a complete mockery of Class XII exams • The professionalism of NCERT, UGC, and CBSE has been destroyed • The New Education Policy of 2020, rather than preparing India’s education system for the future, only serves as the Nagpur Education Policy 2020 This is the legacy of the MA in Entire Political Science,” he wrote.

Every year the non-biological PM conducts a grand tamasha of what he calls ‘Pareeksha pe Charcha.’ Yet, his government cannot even conduct an examination without leaks and frauds –

• The NEET UG 2024 Examination faces very serious questions that even the Education Minister has…

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 20, 2024

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi lambasted the government in strong words saying “The laxity and corruption of the BJP government is fatal for the youth.” She stated if the accountability be fixed now “Will the education minister take responsibility for this lax system?,” Priyanka Gandhi asked.

भाजपा सरकार का लीकतंत्र व लचरतंत्र युवाओं के लिए घातक है।

NEET परीक्षा में हुए घपले की खबरों के बाद अब 18 जून को हुई NET की परीक्षा भी गड़बड़ियों की आशंका के चलते रद्द की गई।

क्या अब जवाबदेही तय होगी? क्या शिक्षा मंत्री इस लचरतंत्र की जिम्मेदारी लेंगे?

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) June 19, 2024

In a detailed post, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav called the development a “big conspiracy” against the country, while alleging that the “paper mafia is rigging every exam, one after the other under the BJP rule.

Read more: Education Minister Assures Strict Action Against Guilty In NEET Exam Case

“Understand the deeper meaning: – If the police recruitment exam paper is leaked, the law and order situation will not improve. Due to which there will be unrest and instability in the country and state. – ⁠ If there is fraud in the NEET exam, honest people will not be able to become doctors and in the future there will be a further shortage of doctors for treating the people of the country and dishonest people will become a threat to the lives of the public. – ⁠ Due to the absence of UGC-NET exam, the already existing shortage of teachers will increase even more. The shortage of teachers will hinder the mental development of the country, which will prove to be extremely fatal for the country in the long run. Due to all this, the administration as well as the health and education system will be ruined. This can be a very big conspiracy against the administration and human resources of our country, which will have far-reaching negative consequences. That is why this should be investigated rigorously under the supervision of the court and the culprits should be given the harshest punishment, and no criminal should be spared, no matter how big he is or how much power he has over him. People are saying that those corrupt people who can embezzle crores of rupees in the name of election donations in the Corona vaccine, why would they leave the examination system,” the SP chief wrote.

… और अब गड़बड़ी की ख़बर के बाद UGC- NET की परीक्षा भी रद्द कर दी गयी है। भाजपा के राज में पेपर माफ़िया एक के बाद एक, हर एग्ज़ाम में धांधली कर रहा है। ये देश के ख़िलाफ़ किसी की बड़ी साज़िश भी हो सकती है।

गहरी बात समझिए:

– पुलिस भर्ती की परीक्षा का पेपर लीक होगा तो…

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) June 20, 2024

Taking to X, Shiv Sena UBT MP Priyanka Chaturvedi termed the development “an education emergency,” and raised concerns of nearly ten lakh aspirants who attended the recently held examination. The cancellation lets down lakhs of students who diligently prepare for these entrance exams.

“The repeated and absolute failure to conduct national examinations fairly exposes the NTA’s incompetence. This is an education emergency and also lets down lakhs of students who diligently prepare for these entrance exams. , not to mention the mental pressure they go through. Cancelling is not the solution, accountability from the government and NTA is. This absolute disregard for young students and their careers is unfortunate,” she wrote.

The repeated and absolute failure to conduct national examinations fairly exposes the NTA’s incompetence. This is an education emergency and also lets down lakhs of students who diligently prepare for these entrance exams. , not to forget the mental pressure they go through.… pic.twitter.com/gaP4bVwK2c

— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) June 19, 2024

The Congress student wing NSUI has called for banning the exam authority NTA and demanded to take immediate action against the officials involved.