Bengaluru: Responding to criticism by opposition parties over the reported National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-UG 2026 re-examination issue, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Congress over the alleged NEET examination irregularities and the functioning of the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC), accusing the ruling party in Karnataka of being responsible for the deterioration of the recruitment body during its tenure in power.
Speaking to the media in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy questioned the Congress government’s own record in Karnataka regarding the examination management.
“How many times have examinations been postponed in our state? Were there no irregularities during the Congress regime? The Congress failed to reform the KPSC. Today, people openly speak about the poor state of the commission,” he alleged.
The Union Minister claimed that the decline of KPSC had begun under Congress administrations and accused the ruling party in Karnataka of fostering corruption in recruitment processes.
“The Congress is responsible for the deterioration of KPSC. The Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah) had promised to cleanse the system, but what exactly did they (Congress) clean up? There were open discussions in public about fixed rates for government posts. It was the Congress that created such an atmosphere,” Kumaraswamy charged.
Referring to reports of examination paper leaks in Rajasthan, the Union Minister said that isolated incidents should not automatically be blamed on governments.
“Paper leaks have happened in Rajasthan too. Sometimes mistakes are committed by individuals and it is unfair to entirely blame the government for every incident. Similar situations have occurred several times during Congress rule in Karnataka. What moral authority does Congress have to lecture others on this issue?” Kumaraswamy asked.
Karnataka Minister for Medical Education, Skill Development and Livelihood, Sharanaprakash R. Patil, has strongly condemned the Central government’s cancellation of the NEET examination, calling it a grave injustice to lakhs of aspiring medical students across the country.
Speaking to the media here on Tuesday, Minister Patil said the NEET fiasco is the Central government’s biggest scandal.
“For the past four to five years, irregularities and controversies in NEET have been a recurring phenomenon with no end in sight. The BJP government at the Centre is entirely responsible for this mess,” he added.
The Union Minister said that despite repeated representations to the Central government and the concerned Ministry, no corrective action was taken, leading to yet another massive failure.
“The Central government must take full responsibility. The guilty must be brought to justice. This is a testament to the incompetence of the BJP-led government at the Centre. Where there is question paper leakage, crores of rupees are changing hands — this is nothing but corruption,” Patil added.
He expressed deep concern for the mental well-being of students who had prepared sincerely and diligently for the examination.
“Conducting the examination all over again is deeply unfair to honest, hardworking students. It causes immense stress and hardship to students and their families,” he said.
He urged students not to lose hope or succumb to anxiety, and to focus on their future.
“My heartfelt advice to every student is to stay strong, keep their future goals in mind, and prepare for the re-examination with confidence,” Patil added.
(IANS)
