NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi after an alleged suicide by a NEET aspirant came to light, saying an entire generation of youth is paying the price for the extent to which the PM has "ruined" the education system over the past 12 years.
Gandhi's attack on the Modi government came after media reports said Akanksha Chaturvedi, a NEET aspirant from Madhya Pradesh's Mauganj district, allegedly died by suicide in Nagpur after reportedly falling into depression following reports of irregularities in the NEET-UG examination.
"Akanksha aspired to become a doctor and serve her country and society. Akanksha's father is a farmer. To support his daughter's dream of becoming a doctor, he took out a loan of Rs 3 lakh against his Kisan Credit Card. He even took up a job as a cook in Nagpur himself, so that his daughter could attend coaching classes there " Gandhi said in his post in Hindi on X "A father did everything humanly possible. Then, the NEET paper leaked. The examination was cancelled. Amidst that uncertainty, Akanksha left us forever," the Leader of Opposition said.
Akanksha's death was not a suicide - it is the tragic outcome of a corrupt and broken system under Prime Minister Modi, Gandhi alleged.
"And Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan? He remains firmly seated in his position even today. The same old committees. The same old transfers. The same old inquiries. No reform; no justice," Gandhi said.
"Mr. Modi, power is not permanent - it comes and goes. But the an entire generation of India's youth is now paying the price for the extent to which you have ruined the education system over the past 12 years," the Congress leader said.
The NEET (UG) 2026 exam held on May 3 by the National Testing Agency (NTA) was cancelled on May 12 amid allegations of paper leak which is now being probed by the CBI.
A re-examination has been scheduled for June 21.