Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 22 : In a sharp rebuttal to the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), 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.
The Minister clarified that out of the 720 students allotted to the RC College centre, only three candidates failed to appear for the re-test.
"A total of 720 students were allotted RC College as their NEET examination centre. Of these, 142 were absent. Only three students missed the examination due to specific, individual circumstances," Kharge stated.
"We had issued comprehensive traffic advisories and established a dedicated helpline for NEET aspirants," Kharge stated.
He questioned the silence of BJP MPs, including Tejasvi Surya, regarding the nationwide NEET paper leak crisis, suggesting that the focus on local logistics is an attempt to deflect from Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's accountability for the academic irregularities.
Priyank Kharge further pointed out that students missed exams in other major cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, and Bhopal, emphasising that the state government adhered to all standard operating procedures to facilitate the smooth conduct of the test.
Earlier today, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) National Spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi launched a scathing attack on the Congress party, accusing it of "prioritising politics over the future of students.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters in New Delhi, the BJP leader alleged that the Opposition is attempting to manufacture controversy around the NEET-UG examination for political gains.
Trivedi criticised the Congress party's conduct, claiming that their political manoeuvres have frequently disrupted the academic schedule of students.
Referring to recent reports of students facing difficulties in reaching exam centres in various parts of the country due to political events, he remarked, "It is deeply disturbing that for the Congress, political rallies and theatrics take precedence over the careers of lakhs of students. They have no real concern for the youth; their only interest is to turn academic issues into a political spectacle."
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.