NEW DELHI: Hours after the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 over alleged paper leak concerns, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp attack on the Centre, accusing the BJP-led government of protecting officials linked to examination controversies instead of fixing systemic failures.In a post on X on Tuesday, Gandhi directly addressed students and young aspirants, asking them to look up the current posting of the former NTA chief who headed the agency during the NEET-UG 2024 controversy. His remarks came amid mounting political pressure following the government’s decision earlier in the day to scrap the May 3 examination and order a fresh test for nearly 24 lakh candidates.‘Search it yourself on Google’: Rahul Gandhi’s message to students“I want to bring a serious matter to the attention of the country’s youth,” Rahul Gandhi wrote on X.“Do one thing—search it yourself on Google: ‘Who was the DG of NTA during the horrific NEET 2024 scam, and where has the Modi government seated him today?’”The Congress leader then linked the latest NEET-UG 2026 controversy with the earlier NEET-UG 2024 row, alleging that the government rewards rather than penalises those associated with examination irregularities.“See that? Get it now?” he wrote.“The BJP rewards those who toy with the futures of millions of hardworking students like you in this very way—it protects them, and on top of that, promotes them to higher positions.”Escalating his attack further, Gandhi alleged that the government itself was complicit in damaging students’ futures.“It’s clear—Modi ji and the BJP are themselves partners in the theft of your future,” he said.“The only rule in the market where your hard work and dreams are being auctioned off is this: the bigger the theft, the bigger the reward.”NEET-UG 2026 cancelled after leak allegationsEarlier on Tuesday, the National Testing Agency announced that NEET-UG 2026, conducted on May 3, would be cancelled and held afresh following inputs received from central agencies and law-enforcement authorities regarding alleged question paper leaks and circulation of examination material before the test.The NTA stated that the available material did not permit the continuation of the existing examination process “without compromising the standards of fairness and public confidence that govern national examinations.”The government has also decided to hand over the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a comprehensive probe.The controversy emerged after investigations in Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and other states reportedly pointed to the circulation of question sets prior to the examination. Investigators are examining allegations that portions of those circulated materials substantially matched the actual NEET-UG 2026 paper.NEET controversy becomes fresh political flashpointThe cancellation of the country’s biggest undergraduate medical entrance examination has triggered widespread outrage among students and parents, while opposition parties have intensified criticism of the government and the functioning of the NTA.Rahul Gandhi had earlier alleged on X that NEET had effectively become an “auction,” claiming that examination questions were circulated on WhatsApp before the exam and that the futures of over 22 lakh students had been compromised.Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had also questioned how repeated examination irregularities were continuing despite stricter anti-paper leak laws passed by Parliament.Former NTA chief’s posting draws attention againRahul Gandhi’s latest remarks referenced former NTA Director General Subodh Kumar Singh, who was removed from the post in June 2024 amid criticism over the handling of NEET-UG and UGC-NET examinations.After being placed on compulsory wait, Singh was later appointed Additional Secretary and Financial Adviser in the Union Ministry of Steel before being repatriated to his parent Chhattisgarh cadre. He currently serves as Principal Secretary to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai.The BJP had not officially responded to Rahul Gandhi’s latest allegations at the time of reporting.