New Delhi [India], June 23 : Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi, criticised the Karnataka government for alleged lapses in arrangements for students appearing for the NEET re-examination on June 21.
In a statement, Joshi said on Monday that the entire country knew well in advance that the NEET re-examination was scheduled for June 21. Yet, the state government failed to take even basic precautionary measures to ensure students did not face inconvenience while travelling to exam centres, he alleged.
The Union Minister said the Karnataka Congress president's remarks amounted to an admission of lapses by the government, but a state minister instead blamed students for the difficulties they faced.
"Creating a problem and then holding students responsible for it reflects the height of irresponsibility," Joshi said.
He further alleged that the state government diverted thousands of state-owned buses for a political event, severely disrupting public transport and causing hardship to students and the public. According to him, deploying a large number of buses for political purposes brought normal life in several parts of the state to a standstill and exposed serious shortcomings in governance and administrative planning.
Joshi urged the state government to take responsibility for the inconvenience caused to students and ensure such lapses do not recur. The welfare of students should be given priority over political considerations, he added.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Monday dismissed claims that a Congress party rally hindered students appearing for the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination in Bengaluru.
Asserting that only three students at a designated centre missed the test due to individual circumstances, Kharge said, "Three students missed writing the exam. Out of the three students, one student missed the bus in Magadi, which is in the opposite direction from where the Congress rally was taking place. Another student had brought an old hall ticket. One more student who was coming from RT Nagar also missed taking the exam."
Questioning the need for the re-exam in the first place, the Minister demanded accountability from the Union government, asking, "Who forced students to reappear?" while highlighting that the crisis stems from the nationwide paper leak overseen by the Ministry of Education.
On Sunday, the high-stakes re-examination for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) 2026 concluded across the country and 14 destinations abroad, even as the process remained under the shadow of the paper leak controversy.