Rahul Gandhi’s press conference
NEW DELHI: Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a fresh attack on the Centre over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, accusing the government of failing students and demanding the removal of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.Addressing a press conference, Gandhi alleged that India’s education system had become a ‘rigged system’, claimed there had been ‘152 paper leaks’ over the past decade with ‘zero convictions’ and criticised the police action against students protesting over the examination controversy. He also reiterated his demand that Pradhan resign.His remarks came after police used tear gas and lathi-charged protesters during the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) march towards Parliament over the alleged paper leak.Here are the top quotes from Rahul Gandhi’s press conference:
On education system and paper leaks
- “The thing that is very clear to everybody is that our education system, which was known to be one of the best education systems in the world, is today a rigged system.”
- “In the last 10 years, 152 paper leaks have taken place and there have been zero convictions. Zero. So somebody, or a group of people, has destroyed our education system, India’s most valuable asset, destroying the lives of our students. And what does the government do? Zero convictions.”
- “What we do know is that 152 paper leaks have taken place over the last decade. So, approximately one a month. Every month, lakhs of students are told that all the stress they went through, they’re going to have to go through again.”
- “We are 100% in agreement with what every single student is feeling and what every single student is doing. There must be consequences to what has been done some days ago.”
On students and police action
- “The question is, why is this happening to our students? What exactly have our students done? Thousands and thousands of students… To have security forces aiming weapons at them, to be beaten up, to be thrashed, to be humiliated. What have they done wrong? They’re protesting peacefully.”
- “They’re simply asking, ‘Listen, as students in this country, we deserve an education system that works. We deserve an education system that is fair,’ and we don’t have it.”
“Children have committed suicide. Our students go through immense stress. And then, at the last minute, they are told that the paper has leaked. So there is a legitimate problem. And it is now a very deep problem in this country.”
On students and their families
- “7.5 crore students and their families are affected by this. These are middle-class and poor families. They put their hard-earned money into this… And the best part of this is zero convictions.”
- “They (students) have some demands. The first demand, a completely legitimate demand, is that Dharmendra Pradhan, who has failed as an education minister and is known to be corrupt, should be relieved of his duties. It is a 100% legitimate demand. There is nothing wrong with it. He has shown India and the world that he is incapable of running this system. Exam leaks are happening one after the other.”
“The second demand is that every single person who raised a finger on our students — it doesn’t matter who ordered it or who executed it — should be made accountable.” - “The third thing is that the man who is running this entire system, the man who is finally accountable for all this, should have the decency to apologise to the students for what has happened.”
On education minister Dharmendra Pradhan
- “Dharmendra Pradhan should be shown the door, he is incapable of holding the post.”
- “This gentleman, Dharmendra Pradhan, has literally destroyed India’s biggest asset… Our education system has been wiped out and so we fully support these demands and we fully support every single student who’s on the streets.”
- “The government wants to push this under the carpet, but we want that Pradhan goes, the Prime Minister apologises and the education system changes.”
On student protests
- “Students are protesting as India’s youth have no future. There must be consequences on what has been done some days ago.”
- “Our education system is unaffordable. The Government of India puts Rs 1.4 lakh crore in the education budget, but students spend Rs 1.32 lakh crore on one NEET exam.”
- “Even after you have an education, you become a doctor, you become a lawyer, you learn something, you’re suddenly told that the doors that should be open to you — what your country and your government owes you, a livelihood, a job — are closed.”
- “Manufacturing is closed. Look around you, you’ll see there are only Chinese products. Entrepreneurship is closed. Take a look at who gets the money from the banks. Two or three large companies get all the money.”
- “Corporate jobs — AI is destroying them, especially in the IT sector. The public sector is being privatised. The only choice left is a government job. You give them one door, close all the others, then rig that system and make it unbelievably expensive. And then you expect they won’t be outside. Which world are you living in?”
