BJP Criticises Rahul Gandhi Over Remarks On NEET-UG Case

The BJP on Sunday strongly objected to comments made by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi , who referred to the suicide of a NEET-UG 2026 aspirant as an “institutional murder” allegedly caused by the Union government.

BJP spokesperson NV Subhash said such remarks were “irresponsible” and not expected from a senior opposition leader. Speaking to the media in Hyderabad, he said it was wrong to directly blame the government for the death of a student and urged Rahul Gandhi to exercise restraint in his public statements.

Subhash argued that significant reforms had been introduced in the medical admission process after 2014, particularly through the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), which he said was designed to bring transparency and fairness. He added that the expansion of medical colleges, hospitals, and MBBS and postgraduate seats in recent years had increased competition and student aspirations.

He also claimed that incidents such as question paper leaks and corruption cases were more frequent during the earlier UPA-1 and UPA-2 administrations, and said the current system had been strengthened to protect merit-based selection.

The controversy stems from the death of 21-year-old Rithik Mishra, a NEET-UG aspirant from Lakhimpur Kheri , whose family said he died by suicide on Thursday after being distressed over the cancellation of the exam following a paper leak controversy.

Reacting to the incident, Rahul Gandhi described the situation as an “institutional murder” and questioned how many more students would be affected under the current system.

Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) reported progress in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak investigation, announcing the arrest of alleged mastermind P.V. Kulkarni , a chemistry lecturer from Pune.

Investigators said Kulkarni, acting in coordination with another accused, Manisha Wagmare, allegedly leaked the question paper and conducted coaching sessions for selected students at his residence. Wagmare was arrested earlier on May 14, and officials confirmed that the total number of arrests in the case has now reached seven.

The case continues to draw political attention as investigations proceed.