Congress leader Rahul Gandhi demanded the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan before agreeing to a Lok Sabha discussion on the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.

The standoff highlights growing tensions between the Indian government and students over examination integrity and the use of police force against demonstrators during the current Monsoon Session of Parliament.

Gandhi said the students have three demands [1]: the resignation of the Education Minister, action against those who attacked students, and an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi [1]. He said the Opposition would not agree to a discussion on the issue until these conditions are met and action is taken against those responsible for the alleged use of force against protesting students [2].

Simultaneous protests led by the CJP and student demonstrators took place at Jantar Mantar and outside the Prime Minister’s residence in Delhi [2, 3]. These demonstrations coincided with the legislative deadlock in the Lok Sabha.

Clashes during the protests resulted in injuries to more than 118 police personnel [4]. Additionally, more than 20 police vehicles were damaged during the unrest near Jantar Mantar [4].

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan responded to the demands by saying Gandhi is exploiting students for political gain [3]. The government has since unveiled three major measures to address the paper leak row [1].

Gandhi continues to press for accountability, linking the legislative process to the immediate redress of student grievances and the removal of the minister overseeing the education portfolio [1, 2].

“"Corrupt Education Minister has to go, Action against those who attacked students and beat them up, PM should apologise to the students."”

The intersection of street protests and parliamentary deadlock suggests that the NEET-UG 2026 leak has evolved from a technical administrative failure into a broader political crisis. By tying a formal legislative discussion to the resignation of a cabinet minister, the opposition is attempting to shift the narrative from policy reform to personal accountability for the current administration.