Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi. File.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (June 20, 2026) lashed out at the Modi government after a NEET-UG aspirant from Nagpur was allotted a centre in Abu Dhabi for the re-exam, saying it should “stop gambling” with children’s future.
The family of the Nagpur NEET aspirant claimed that he was allocated a school in Abu Dhabi as his exam centre for the re-test on Sunday (June 21, 2026)
The National Testing Agency (NTA) said the grievance is being addressed and the candidate will be allocated a centre in Nagpur, after due verification, in the next few hours.
In a post in Hindi on X, Mr. Gandhi said, “A student from Nagpur had been preparing for the NEET re-exam for a month. He downloaded his admit card just a day before the exam. His assigned centre was in Abu Dhabi. He has no passport, his family lacks the funds to send him abroad, and there is no time left. He wept all night and is refusing to take the exam — can one even imagine the level of stress involved?”
“How did this even happen? No student should have to face the issue of being unable to reach their exam centre. In reality, the NTA is merely testing the patience of the country’s students and their parents,” the leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
A system that cannot provide a student with a centre in their own city — and instead assigns one abroad — has no right to conduct examinations, Mr. Gandhi asserted.
“This is exactly what I said in Kota: this is no longer an education system. It is the exploitation of an entire generation’s money, time, and mental peace,” he said.
He said, “Stop gambling with our children’s future. They deserve a sensitive, responsible, and accountable education and examination system — and we will ensure they get it.”
Mr. Gandhi on Thursday (June 18, 2026) launched a signature campaign to amplify issues related to the nation’s education system, such as paper leaks and high fees, asserting that it is a platform for students to make demands directly to the government.
His appeal for participation in the campaign came a day after he interacted with students at a convention in Kota, Rajasthan.
During this interaction, he described India’s education system as a “rejection system” rather than a selection system, claiming it places excessive financial burden and causes significant stress to students and middle-class families.
While addressing the gathering in Kota, known for its coaching centres, Mr. Gandhi remarked that the current education structure is “extremely stressful and unfair”.
The NTA cancelled the May 3 NEET-UG 2026 exam amid allegations of a paper leak, with the government asking the CBI to carry out a comprehensive inquiry into the matter.
Published – June 20, 2026 01:00 pm IST
