In a dig at the government’s counsel informing the Supreme Court that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was personally overseeing the ongoing NEET probe, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the PM “personally supervised” the paper leak.
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His remarks drew a sharp response from the BJP, which said the Congress MP’s take was “outrageous” and prioritised “sensationalism over responsibility”.
On May 12, the National Testing Agency (NTA) cancelled the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET-UG, that had been conducted on May 3 for admissions to medical courses, following a paper leak, which is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Rahul Gandhi attacks PM over NEET paper leak issue
During a hearing linked to the probe on Friday, the Supreme Court was informed that PM Modi was personally monitoring concerns regarding the cancellation of NEET-UG following the paper leak controversy.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta made the submission after the apex court asked the government to file an affidavit explaining the process being followed in the investigation and how conclusions in the probe would be reached.
“Honourable Prime Minister is personally supervising,” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court, according to LiveLaw.
Reacting to a post on the development, Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at the prime minister, saying, “PM Modi also personally supervised the NEET paper leak.”
The Congress leader has, in recent days, repeatedly targeted the BJP-led Centre over the NEET paper leak row and the controversy surrounding the CBSE’s On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, while demanding accountability from Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the prime minister.
BJP reacts to Rahul Gandhi’s jibe
The ruling party hit back at the Congress leader’s comments, saying the Lok Sabha LoP had chosen “sensationalism over responsibility”.
BJP leader Amit Malviya wrote on X, “It is preposterous, outrageous, and a stretch beyond reason to suggest that Prime Minister Modi personally supervised the NEET paper leak. This is precisely why Rahul Gandhi struggles to be taken seriously on matters of national importance.
Time and again, he demonstrates a lack of gravitas and the maturity required to handle serious issues with the thoughtfulness and sensitivity they deserve.”
He added, “Instead of standing with students and contributing constructively, Rahul Gandhi has once again chosen sensationalism over responsibility.”
BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said the “problem with Rahul Gandhi is that up till now he was not able to understand the ‘Issue’ now he is unable to read the word ‘Issue’”.
“@RahulGandhi reads only Paper Leak, doesn’t read the word ‘issue’. This shows that they are ‘Clueless’, ‘Issueless’ & ‘Shameless’ in misquoting,” he wrote.
