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    COVER STORY                                                           AUGUST 07, 2026      |  The Indian Eye                    5

            tive measures are being implemented.                                                                  while demanding accountability and
                The Congress has instead fo-                                                                      an apology from the government.
            cused on moral and political account-                                                                     Parliament has also passed the
            ability. Rahul Gandhi intensified his                                                                 Public Examinations (Prevention
            campaign by visiting the families of                                                                  of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill,
            Gopika, Roshini and Vetri Anandan,                                                                    2026, introducing stricter penalties,
            three medical aspirants whose lives                                                                   time-bound investigations and fast-
            were lost following the NEET paper                                                                    track courts to address examination
            leak and cancellation of the examina-                                                                 malpractices.
            tion. He wrote that each family was                                                                       Taken together, the events indi-
            left asking why “honest, hardworking                                                                  cate that competitive examinations
            students pay the price for a dishonest                                                                are no longer merely administrative
            system.”                                                                                              exercises but have become political-
                After meeting the families, Gand-                                                                 ly significant issues. The contest over
            hi said his conviction had strength-                                                                  the NEET controversy has evolved
            ened that “India’s students need no                                                                   into a broader effort by both the
            forgiveness. The government owes                                                                      ruling party and the Opposition to
            them truth, justice and an apology.”                                                                  engage  India’s  younger  generation,
                Thus, while the government has                                                                    placing students and their aspirations
            highlighted reform, the Opposition                                                                    at the center of contemporary politi-
            has concentrated on accountability.                                                                   cal discourse.
              Youth and political messaging                                                                                 Future tense
                  he  controversy  has  also                                                                            he NEET controversy has
                  brought wider questions about                                                                         emerged  as  one  of  the  most
            Tyouth participation into politi-                                                                     Tpolitically sensitive challeng-
            cal discourse.                                                                                        es facing Prime Minister Narendra
                National Security Advisor Ajit                                                                    Modi because it strikes at the aspira-
            Doval, addressing the Lokmanya Ti-                                                                    tions of India’s youth, a demograph-
            lak National Award ceremony, urged                                                                    ic that has been central to the BJP’s
            young Indians to reflect on Lokman-   BJP leaders hold national flags during ‘Tiranga Yatra’ to protest against the violence that   vision of a “New India.” For millions
            ya Tilak’s vision of nation-building                                                                  of students, competitive examina-
            and cautioned against equating free-      took place during the NEET protests in Kolkata on Monday (ANI Photo)  tions represent the primary pathway
            dom with unrestricted liberty.                                                                        to higher education, professional suc-
                “Youth  should  dedicate  them-  tration into broader political commu-  The government has responded   cess and upward social mobility. Any
            selves completely to the nation,”   nication across both physical protests   by strengthening examination sys-  perception that these examinations
            Doval said, adding that “a rare win-  and digital platforms.        tems, introducing enhanced security   are compromised can quickly erode
            dow of opportunity has come in our       A new constituency         measures for NEET-PG, appealing for   public confidence in government in-
            country’s history.”                                                 calm and urging young people to con-  stitutions.
                His remarks came after large stu-   lthough the supplied materi-  tribute positively to nation-building.   Unlike many political controver-
            dent demonstrations over examina-       al does not establish that the   The Opposition has framed the   sies that are driven by opposition par-
            tion irregularities. The accompanying  ANEET controversy represents   controversy as evidence of systemic   ties, the NEET issue has been fueled
            ANI report noted that recent youth   a decisive turning point in Indian   institutional failure, repeatedly high-  by students and their families, giving
            mobilization at Jantar Mantar over   politics, it clearly shows that students   lighting paper leaks, cancelled exam-  it  an  authenticity  that  is  difficult  to
            issues including NEET paper leaks   have become the focus of competing   inations and the emotional impact on   dismiss as partisan politics. The con-
            had placed political pressure on the   political narratives.        affected  students  and  their  families   troversy has also shifted the political
            government, while also highlighting                                                                   conversation from ideology to gover-
            differing views over democratic ex-                                                                   nance, placing questions of transpar-
            pression and national responsibility.                                                                 ency, accountability and institutional
                Meanwhile, the political contest                                                                  credibility at the forefront.
            has  increasingly  extended  to  social                                                                   For the BJP, the challenge ex-
            media.                                                                                                tends beyond managing a single
                A  BJP Telangana social media                                                                     examination. It is about reassuring
            office-bearer  alleged  that  Opposi-                                                                 young Indians that merit remains the
            tion-backed social media accounts                                                                     basis of opportunity and that the state
            had circulated morphed photographs                                                                    is capable of protecting the integrity
            and videos targeting the Prime Minis-                                                                 of one of the country’s most import-
            ter during the protests and stated that                                                               ant competitive examinations. At the
            complaints had been filed with cyber-                                                                 same time, the Opposition has rec-
            crime authorities.                                                                                    ognized  the  political  significance  of
                The complaint led to the registra-                                                                student anger and has sought to po-
            tion of a case against operators of sev-                                                              sition itself as the voice of aspirants
            eral social media accounts under pro-                                                                 demanding accountability.
            visions of the Information Technology                                                                     The contest over NEET there-
            Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.                                                                  fore represents more than an educa-
                These developments illustrate   Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi speaks to media over the Exam paper irregularities in New Delhi   tion policy debate—it is increasingly
            how the NEET controversy has ex-                      on Saturday (@INCIndia X/ANI Photo)             becoming a battle to win the trust and
            panded beyond examination adminis-                                                                    confidence of India’s Generation Z.

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