Rahul Gandhi blames ‘Modi-Shah duo’ for NEET aspirant’s death over paper leak

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday met the family of NEET aspirant Pradeep Meghwal, who died by suicide, saying his death was a “consequence of a broken, corrupt” system and “Modi-Shah duo” are accountable to them.

After his meeting with the family, he said on ‘X’ that Meghwal was “so devasted” by the NEET UG 2026 exam paper leak that he died by suicide. The pain of the “brilliant” student’s family “cannot be contained in words. A mother and father have lost their son, and they were guilty of nothing,” he said.

He said millions of children across the country are living under the pressure of studies, competition, and their future.

“And when a paper leak happens, it's not just one exam that breaks—it's a child's dream, and an entire family that shatters. Pradeep's death was not suicide—it was the consequence of a broken, corrupt system. Those who handed the examination system over to mafias, and who are still clinging to their chairs today -- the Modi-Shah duo is accountable to this family,” he said.

Rahul and the Congress have already demanded resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. On Sunday, Rahul said the Congress will not rest until Pradhan resigns and a foolproof system is put in place to prevent paper leaks like in NEET even as the party’s student wing NSU(I) intensified protest on NEET and CBSE issues.

The Congress on its official 'X' handle had said the NEET paper leak has plunged the futures of millions of students into darkness while recalling the foot march by NSU(I) in Hyderabad against the "youth-hostile" Modi government