'PM now accountable': Digvijaya Singh shifts responsibility for NEET re-exam to Modi

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh asserted Monday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assumed personal responsibility for overseeing national examinations due to profound dissatisfaction with the systemic shortcomings of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, warning that a subsequent paper leak during the upcoming medical entrance retest would warrant demands for the prime minister's resignation.

Singh, who serves as the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, referenced recent legal declarations made by the federal government's top litigator. He noted that the prime minister has taken accountability for ensuring the successful execution of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) re-examination scheduled for June 21.

During an interview with the Press Trust of India, Singh emphasised the confidential nature of parliamentary committee operations following a high-profile meeting of the panel.

"I have been a part of the legislative (processes) since 1977. I want to clearly state that it is instruction of the Chairman Rajya Sabha, that we don't have the right to speak about the decisions and deliberations in the Standing Committee till the time the report is presented in Parliament as a case of breach of privilege can be filed," Singh stated.

When questioned regarding media accounts suggesting he had signalled political confidence in the prime minister's handling of the crisis during the committee session, Singh clarified his position by shifting the institutional accountability directly to the head of government.

"It has come in the public domain that the PM is so miffed with the failures of Dharmendra Pradhan, that he has taken up all the responsibilities himself. Hence, he is accountable. We hope that it will be done properly, if a leak still happens, then we would have to ask for the PM's resignation," Singh said.

The opposition lawmaker criticised the administration's broader response to academic integrity failures, noting that definitive punitive actions had not been executed regarding prior compromises.

"Has the PM not taken responsibility to ensure that NEET paper takes place successfully on June 21? He has taken. So we expect that under his watch, paper leak will not happen. If the paper is leaked under his watch then till now we were asking for Pradhan's resignation, but then we would have to ask for the resignation of PM," he added.

Opposition Leadership Rejects Reports of Accommodating Tone

Congress General Secretary in charge of Communications, Jairam Ramesh, concurrently dismissed press reports characterising Singh’s committee remarks as an endorsement of the prime minister.

Ramesh utilised the social platform X to rebuke the media narratives, characterising them as deliberate misinterpretations originating from interested parties.

"The Standing Committee on Education has given no clean chit to the Prime Minister or his 'system' and Shri Digvijaya Singh did not express his confidence in them. One English-language media report is spreading mischievous news based on sources whose agenda is only to mislead," Ramesh stated.

The communications chief clarified the context of the legislative discussions, affirming that the opposition's perspective was predicated strictly on formal statements provided by judicial officers.

"Mr Digvijaya Singh noted that we have been informed by the Solicitor General that the Prime Minister is monitoring the NEET re-exam personally. For the sake of our students, we must believe that the exam will be held successfully," Ramesh wrote.

Ramesh further contended that it remained impossible for objective observers to maintain confidence in the executive branch's administrative apparatus, levelling severe criticisms against the government's investigative history.

"This 'system' botched up the investigation in the 2024 NEET-UG paper leak. This 'system' continues to deny that the NEET-UG 2026 paper was leaked, when the truth is evident to all. This 'system' has not only wrecked administration of exams in higher education, but has done so in CBSE as well," Ramesh claimed.

He concluded by characterising the current educational management framework as entirely compromised.

"The Modi Government and its Education 'system' - thoroughly discredited and exposed as incompetent, corrupt, and arrogant - is now relying on out-of-context quotes, rumours, and fake news," the Congress leader asserted.

The Legal Context of Executive Supervision

The political dispute intensifies days after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the Supreme Court that the federal administration remains deeply attentive to the grievances of the nation's student demographic, affirming that Prime Minister Modi is directly managing the administrative response to eliminate operational vulnerabilities.

Mehta had previously detailed the implementation of heightened security protocols ahead of the upcoming June testing date, while maintaining confidentiality regarding specific operational tactics.

"Some new mechanisms are also put in place for the June 21 examination. It may not be appropriate to divulge what is there, otherwise the very purpose will be frustrated. It is being monitored at the highest possible executive level," Mehta informed the apex court. "The prime minister personally is supervising this so that there is no lacunae."

With inputs from PTI