New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday met the parents of NEET aspirants affected by the ongoing controversy surrounding alleged examination irregularities and expressed solidarity with families who have suffered personal and financial losses.
Following the meeting, Rahul Gandhi said that no grief is greater than that of parents who have lost their children, adding that every young life lost leaves behind a family burdened with lifelong pain and unanswered questions about what he described as a broken education system.
“Nothing is more painful than seeing a parent grieve their child. Behind every young life lost is a family carrying pain that will never leave them—and serious questions about a broken education system,” he said.
The Congress leader alleged that repeated incidents of question paper leaks, cancelled examinations, and examination irregularities have shattered the dreams of lakhs of students who spent years preparing for competitive examinations.
“Leaked papers. Cancelled exams. Years of preparation destroyed overnight. Our students are told to work honestly in a system that is not honest with them,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his reported remarks on students, stating that students do not need forgiveness but accountability from the government.
“And the Prime Minister has the audacity to speak of ‘forgiving’ students. He has not met a single grieving parent. He has not sat with a single student whose future was stolen by a leaked paper,” Gandhi alleged.
He further said that the tears of parents who have lost their children and the suffering of families whose savings, time and aspirations have been affected by examination irregularities cannot be ignored.
“The tears of parents who have lost their children and their grief will remain with them forever. Along with it remain many questions about this broken and corrupt education system,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi alleged that repeated paper leaks, cancelled examinations, and alleged failures in the examination system have undermined the trust of students and parents alike.
Questioning the government’s response, he said, “Has the Prime Minister met even a single grieving family that has lost a child, or families whose savings, years of hard work, time and dreams have been taken away because of paper leaks? The answer is no.”
The Congress leader asserted that India’s students do not need the Prime Minister’s forgiveness and demanded that the Prime Minister apologise to students and their families.
Note: The statements reflect the views and allegations made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The Central Government has maintained that it is taking multiple steps to strengthen the examination system, including legislative amendments, stricter anti-paper leak provisions, and reforms to enhance transparency and safeguard the interests of students.