CM: NEET Paper Leak ‘Demonetised’ Future of Students
The Government of Telangana stands firmly with the students and parents affected by this crisis. We urge the Union Government and the NTA to conduct a transparent, time-bound, and credible investigation, while also ensuring that innocent students are not forced to suffer repeatedly because of systemic failures, he stated in his message.
Hyderabad:Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday said that the NEET-UG 2026 question paper leaks had “demonetised” the future of lakhs of medical aspirants. Expressing solidarity with students and parents affected by the crisis, he said the Telangana government would stand firmly with them and urged the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA) to conduct a transparent, time-bound and credible investigation into the matter.
In a media statement, Revanth Reddy strongly condemned the cancellation of the NEET-UG, which he said had caused enormous distress and uncertainty among lakhs of students and parents nationwide. He stressed that the credibility of national examinations must be protected at all costs and demanded the strictest punishment for individuals or networks involved in paper leaks and corruption, irrespective of their influence or position.
Revanth Reddy remarked that competitive examinations should become instruments of opportunity and merit rather than anxiety and uncertainty. He noted that students prepare for NEET under immense emotional pressure, financial burden and personal sacrifice, while many parents take loans and even sell jewellery to support their children’s preparation. He said the negligence of the Modi government had shattered the dreams of students who had spent years preparing for the examination.
Describing the cancellation of NEET-UG as a “dictatorial and arbitrary” decision of the Modi government, the Chief Minister said it had severely affected the future prospects of the youth. Drawing a parallel with demonetisation, he said the NEET cancellation had shocked the country in a similar manner and pushed students into uncertainty and despair. He alleged that organised paper leaks and repeated government failures had created an atmosphere of insecurity among the youth.
Revanth Reddy said the similarities between the BJP government at the Centre and the previous BRS government in Telangana in failures, betrayal and organised corruption were “glaring" in conducting examinations smoothly. He alleged that BJP-ruled states had emerged as major centres for examination paper leaks and claimed that Gujarat alone had witnessed 14 paper leak incidents. He criticised the Centre for failing to take action even against ministers responsible for such lapses.
The Chief Minister stated that since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in May 2014, systemic flaws in India’s public examination system had become increasingly visible. Referring to the Congress party’s white paper titled “The Paper Leak Decade,” he claimed that 93 paper leak incidents had taken place in central and state-level examinations during the past decade, affecting nearly two crore students across the country.
He pointed out that in 2024 alone, four major national examinations were cancelled within eight weeks, while the NEET-UG involving 24 lakh candidates caused significant turmoil. He pointed to the UGC-NET with nine lakh candidates, CSIR-NET and NEET-PG cancellations. He also referred to the cancellation of the Uttar Pradesh Police Constable examination, which affected 48 lakh candidates, including 16 lakh women candidates. He alleged that BJP-ruled states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat had repeatedly figured in examination-related controversies.
Revanth Reddy further criticised the Centre for delaying the notification of 'The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024', despite Parliament approving it in February 2024. He alleged that the notification was delayed until June 2024, even after several major examination scandals had surfaced.
Assuring support to students and parents in Telangana, the Chief Minister appealed to them not to panic over the NEET cancellation and reiterated that the Telangana government would stand by every student and family affected by the crisis. He also demanded stronger safeguards, technological protections and greater institutional accountability to ensure that such incidents are never repeated in the future.
