Congress Demands Dharmendra Pradhan’s Resignation Over Exam Irregularities, Raises Concerns on NEET and CBSE

Bhubaneswar: Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Pawan Khera on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the Centre over alleged irregularities in the country’s examination system, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and calling for sweeping reforms to restore students’ confidence.

Addressing a press conference under the “Chhatron Ki Goonj” campaign organised by the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) in Bhubaneswar, Khera said repeated controversies, including the alleged NEET question paper leak and discrepancies in CBSE evaluation, had created uncertainty among lakhs of students and their families.

Criticising the Union Education Minister, Khera alleged that Pradhan had failed to address critical issues affecting the education sector. He claimed that question paper leaks had become a recurring problem over the past decade, adversely impacting the future of nearly seven crore students.

The Congress MP also questioned the government’s commitment to conducting fair examinations. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Pariksha Pe Charcha” initiative, Khera said the government should focus on ensuring a transparent and secure examination process instead of merely advising students on handling exam stress. He also raised questions regarding the Prime Minister’s educational qualifications.

Alleging that examination leaks had become a recurring phenomenon, Khera urged the Centre to recognise the anxiety faced by students preparing for competitive examinations such as NEET. He appealed to political parties across the country to work together to protect the interests of students.

Highlighting student protests in Kota and other parts of the country, he claimed there was growing dissatisfaction over the handling of examination-related issues and warned that continued inaction could have serious consequences.

Khera said the Congress had organised similar press conferences in 28 cities across the country to highlight the concerns of students. He reiterated his demand for Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, holding him accountable for the alleged failures in the examination system.

Calling for structural reforms, the Congress leader sought a comprehensive audit of the entire examination process, from the printing of question papers to their transportation and distribution at examination centres. He also advocated a fixed annual calendar for examinations, result declarations and other related procedures to ensure greater transparency and predictability.

Taking a swipe at the government’s arrangements for conducting examinations, Khera remarked that deploying the Air Force and armed forces for exam-related logistics reflected administrative failure rather than efficiency. The event also witnessed the unveiling of the poster for the “Chhatron Ki Goonj” campaign.