Sharma claimed that the NTA is not a constitutional or statutory government body but merely an NGO-like agency constituted during the Modi government in 2017. He alleged that before the formation of the NTA, examinations such as NEET were conducted by the CBSE and questioned the circumstances under which the agency was granted powers to conduct several major national-level examinations.
Launching a scathing attack on the BJP, Sharma claimed that while the government had made tall promises after creating the NTA, the country is instead witnessing repeated paper leak controversies. He alleged that nearly 89 examination papers have been leaked in various Central and state government recruitment and entrance examinations since 2014, out of which around 58 examinations had to be reconducted.
Drawing parallels with the Vyapam scam of Madhya Pradesh, Sharma alleged that the current controversy resembled “Vyapam Part-2”. He referred to the deaths linked to the Vyapam scam and alleged that a similar pattern of manipulation was now emerging through examination agencies. Sharma also claimed that those associated with the NTA and examination management are closely linked to the BJP and RSS, and the agency has remained under suspicion since its inception in 2017.
He further alleged that the first major leak under the present system occurred during the SSC examination in 2017 and claimed that students had staged protests outside SSC offices at that time. Sharma stated that after the formation of the NTA, the agency conducted around 14 major examinations, out of which six paper leak incidents had allegedly surfaced publicly.
Questioning the accountability mechanism of the examination body, Sharma asked who had authorised the NTA to conduct such large-scale examinations and under what legal or administrative framework such powers had been granted. He alleged that despite repeated controversies, no senior official associated with the agency had been sent to jail.
Referring specifically to the NEET controversy, Sharma alleged that papers have been leaked in previous years as well and claimed that suspicious patterns had emerged in selection lists. He alleged that, in the latest case, the question paper had allegedly been circulating on WhatsApp groups nearly 15 days before the examination and that several complaints had already been made, but no action was taken in time. He further claimed that although the examination was conducted on the 3 May, it took several days for the truth to emerge and for the NTA to initiate any action.
Stating that nearly 24 to 30 lakh students appear in the NEET examination every year, Sharma said parents invest enormous financial and emotional resources in preparing their children for the highly competitive medical entrance examination. He accused the government of pushing the future of the country’s younger generation into darkness by failing to ensure transparency and fairness in the examination process.
The Congress leader demanded that the NEET examination be cancelled and that the alleged paper leak case be investigated under the supervision of a sitting judge of the Supreme Court. He also demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and called for the constitution of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the matter. Sharma further demanded that the NEET examination conducted in 2024 should also be investigated thoroughly.
Congress state spokespersons Dr Pratima Singh, Sheeshpal Bisht and Manoj Saini were among those present during the press conference.
