Kota, Rajasthan: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will spearhead a student rally in Kota at 5:30 PM today to protest the NEET paper leak controversy. The event is expected to draw students and senior Congress figures.
Gandhi picked Kota — a prominent coaching centre where over 1 lakh students prepare for competitive exams like NEET and JEE — to launch his “Save Education” campaign.
In a post on X, Gandhi said: “My young and Gen Z comrades, one thing is clear in my mind, and you too should etch it in your heart: securing the future of every youth in India is the government’s responsibility. But responsibility and honesty — both are beyond the Modi government’s way of thinking.”
Political Stunt, Says BJP
The BJP dismissed the protest as a political ploy, accusing the Congress of using students for political gain days before the NEET-UG 2026 retest on June 21.
BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said the protest was intended to mislead students and contended that if students wanted to study and rewrite their exams, “there is no reason for Congress to threaten them and lead a protest, which he deemed a purely political move to mislead them.”
He also pointed to past paper leak incidents during the previous Congress government in Rajasthan, asking if they ever apologised to the students then.
After Kota, Gandhi plans to hold meetings with students in Prayagraj, Patna and Delhi.
