Students’ years are being stolen’: Rahul Gandhi attacks NTA over UGC-NET re-exam

As the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced the re-examination for the UGC-NET papers for three subjects after multiple errors were found in the question papers, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi on Aug 17 took aim at the Central government and claimed that the years of the students are being stolen because of these examination irregularities.

Earlier on Sunday, the NTA announced that it will re-conduct the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) for English, Sociology and Commerce after several errors were found in the question papers. This added to the growing criticism over the testing agency's handling of competitive exams.

Rahul, in a post on X, said, "Modi ji, look at what your NTA has just done. UGC-NET exams for Sociology, English and Commerce were held between 22 and 30 June. Nearly two months later, NTA has cancelled all three because it set faulty papers and repeated old questions."

"Thousands of candidates who prepared for years, filled forms, paid the fees, travelled to distant centres, must now do it all again in September. NTA makes the mistake, but the student serves the sentence," he said.

The LoP recalled that during his Chhatron Ki Goonj programmes held in Kota, Dehradun and Prayagraj, he had stated that "this is no longer an education system", but an "extraction machine".

"It takes your money, your years, your mental health, and your confidence and returns nothing. Not even a job. NTA still won't answer the real question -- were these papers leaked before the exam?" he said.

"Just like every other arm of the Modi government, NTA never says it's their fault. Just like every other compromised paper, I am absolutely sure there will be no accountability. Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation was the first step, not the last. NTA's leadership must be held accountable too," Gandhi stated.

"To every student sitting this exam again in September -- you are not the problem. PM Modi built a system that cannot run an exam and then blames the students who take it. Your years are being stolen, and we will not stop until PM Modi answers for it," he added.

This comes months after the NTA faced public ire over the NEET paper leak case. As part of a major punitive crackdown and institutional overhaul, 47 NTA officials faced termination from service alongside impending criminal proceedings. Additionally, Subodh Kumar Singh was removed as the Director General of the testing agency.

Meanwhile, the Sociology will be held on September 10, while the English and Commerce tests will be re-conducted on September 9.

The UGC-NET is held to determine eligibility for the appointment of entry Assistant Professors, admission to PhD courses, and for the award of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in government and private universities.

The UGC-NET 2026 exam was held in June this year across 87 subjects. The NTA, however, was criticised for delaying the release of the answer key. The provisional answer key was then released on Sunday.

Following this, the NTA stated that it had received several complaints about multiple errors in the English, Commerce, and Sociology papers.

A committee was formed to enquire into these errors, and as per the committee's recommendation, the NTA will re-conduct the exams in these subjects to "ensure a fair and error-free examination", officials stated.

The testing agency also mentioned that no additional fees will be charged from the candidates and allocation of seats will not be reduced. Additionally, the results for the other 84 subjects will be declared as scheduled.

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