Rahul Gandhi demands accountability as NTA announces re-conduct of UGC-NET

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday criticized the government and demanded accountability from the National Testing Agency (NTA) after it announced the re-conduct of the University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) for English, commerce, and sociology papers. Gandhi attributed Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation on July 25 to student protests against examination irregularities, stating that it was just the beginning of a necessary change.

In a post on X, he called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the situation, stating that the UGC-NET exams for these subjects were held between June 22 and 30, and nearly two months later, the NTA cancelled them due to faulty papers and repeated questions. Thousands of candidates who prepared diligently for these exams are now forced to retake them in September.

Gandhi accused the NTA of being an "extraction machine" that drains students' money, years, mental health, and confidence, without returning any tangible results, such as jobs. He emphasized that just like other compromised papers, the NTA refuses to accept responsibility for the faulty exams. Gandhi reiterated that students should not be blamed for the system's failures and vowed to continue pressuring Prime Minister Modi until he answers for the situation.

Gandhi's party colleague, Sachin Pilot, echoed Gandhi's demand for accountability, highlighting the agency's history of inefficiency in conducting examinations. Pilot questioned the fairness and justice of the system, arguing that if the NTA cannot conduct examinations accurately, it is questionable whether the agency should be trusted. Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia went further by demanding the shut down of the NTA, labeling it a "massive fraud."

The re-conduct of the UGC-NET for English, commerce, and sociology papers, which impacts over 20,000 candidates, follows the NTA's cancellation of the May 3 National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (UG) after a paper leak. This earlier cancellation affected 2.2 million students and led to nationwide protests, including the Jantar Mantar agitation in Delhi.

The UGC-NET determines eligibility for junior research fellowships, assistant professor positions, and PhD admissions. The exam is typically held twice a year, in June and December.