Himachal: “No need to get into these matters politically”, Jairam Thakur supports Centre’s actions on NEET paper leak

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], June 19 (ANI): The BJP leader and Himachal Pradesh Leader of Opposition, Jairam Thakur, on Friday backed the Centre's serious actions for catching culprits of the NEET UG 2026 paper leak, and slammed the "politics" being done on the issue.
Speaking to ANI, Thakur highlighted the "serious approach" taken by the central government by cancelling the May 3 test and announcing the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination on June 21.
"Regarding the NEET paper leak issue, it is unfortunate, but despite that, the central government has taken serious action. PM Modi and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan were involved. The paper was cancelled and rescheduled, " the former Himachal CM said.
The BJP leader said the central government is "taking a serious approach to catch the culprits and punish them... taking very serious steps to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future. So, I think there's no need to get into these matters politically."
On Wednesday, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi visited Kota, Rajasthan, to engage directly with students.
Addressing a gathering in the city known for its intense coaching culture, Gandhi emphasised that the meeting was strictly non-political. His primary objective, he stated, was to confront the harsh realities experienced by students who are "struggling to get a future.
"This evening is about you. It is about what you are facing. It is about the challenges that you're dealing with every single day."
Gandhi questioned the structural shifts in the educational landscape, specifically highlighting the decline of the public sector and the prohibitive costs of private education.
He argued that the system "pressures, stresses, suppresses, and crushes its children," creating a high-stakes environment that has led to tragic outcomes. The LoP set a sombre, urgent goal for the dialogue: to work toward a future where no student in India feels the desperation that leads to self-harm.
The NEET-UG 2026 re-examination will be conducted on June 21, from 2:00 pm to 5:15 pm. The National Testing Agency (NTA) scheduled the retest following the cancellation of the May 3 exam due to paper leak controversies. (ANI)