Rahul Gandhi, a senior leader of the Indian National Congress, demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday [1].

The demand follows a series of protests over alleged paper leaks in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), signaling a deepening political crisis over the integrity of India's competitive examination system.

Speaking at a press conference at the Congress party headquarters in Delhi, Gandhi said the education system has been compromised under the current regime. He described the system as "rigged" and called for immediate accountability [1, 2].

"Children and young aspirants are already under immense stress because of repeated examination controversies, including paper leaks," Gandhi said [1]. He said there have been more than 152 paper leaks in the last 10 years, and no one has been held accountable [2].

While Gandhi spoke at the headquarters, parallel protests took place at Jantar Mantar and around Parliament House in Delhi [1, 3]. These demonstrations turned violent, resulting in injuries to more than 118 Delhi police personnel [4]. Protesters also damaged more than 20 police vehicles during the clashes [4].

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan rejected the accusations. Pradhan said Rahul Gandhi is using students as political tools [5].

Gandhi said the government is assaulting students and that the current administration is incapable of managing the education sector [2, 3].

“There have been over 152 paper leaks in the last ten years and no one has been held accountable.”

The escalation of NEET protests into violent street clashes in Delhi underscores a volatile intersection of student frustration and political opposition. By framing the issue as a systemic failure rather than an administrative error, the Congress party is attempting to mobilize a youth demographic that feels betrayed by the state's meritocracy.