Doctors’ body barred from Parliamentary panel meeting on NEET after BJP objections

United Doctors Front (UDF), which has been demanding the dissolution of the National Testing Agency (NTA), was not allowed to depose before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education headed by Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, after protests from BJP MPs on Monday (June 1, 2026).

The Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, chaired by senior Congress leader Mr. Singh, had convened a meeting on issues concerning the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test- Undergraduate (NEET-UG) examination and the functioning of the NTA. It also weighed in on the merits of “pen-and-paper testing” versus “computer-based tests”. The agency has come under scrutiny following allegations of paper leaks and irregularities in the NEET-UG examination.

According to the official notice, representatives of the UDF were listed among the witnesses for the meeting. However, when they were to be called, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Bhim Singh objected. According to sources, he argued that the UDF’s position on the issue was well known and that they were not neutral witnesses. The UDF has filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court seeking to replace the NTA with an independent testing authority with direct parliamentary oversight, strong anti-leak mechanisms, and comprehensive audits.

Other BJP members also supported Mr. Singh’s position, contending that the issue must not be politicised. Some of them also questioned the timing of holding these deliberations. Following this, the waiting UDF representatives were informed by Mr. Singh that they could not be part of the discussion.

Lakshya Mittal, chairperson of the UDF, told reporters that the body had submitted the names of its representatives and also a memorandum of demands a week in advance. “NTA should be dissolved and a new examination body should be created through an Act of Parliament. Such a body should be made accountable to Parliament. Currently, NTA is neither accountable nor does it have adequate auditing mechanisms,” Dr. Mittal said.

Mr. Singh declined to share details of the meeting, citing rules that prohibit disclosure of discussions until the report is presented in Parliament. On the issue of the paper leak, however, he reiterated the Congress’s demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. “The PM is so miffed with the failures of Dharmendra Pradhan that he has taken up all the responsibilities himself,” Mr. Singh said.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also commented on the issue. In a post on X about the meeting, Mr. Ramesh wrote that the Solicitor General had informed the Supreme Court that the Prime Minister was personally monitoring the NEET re-examination. While, for the sake of the students, one must hope the exam will be conducted successfully, Mr. Ramesh said it was difficult for any reasonable person to have faith in the “Pradhan Mantri and his ‘system’.” “This ‘system’ botched up the investigation into the 2024 NEET-UG paper leak. This ‘system’ continues to deny that the NEET-UG 2026 paper was leaked, when the truth is evident to all. This ‘system’ has not only wrecked the administration of exams in higher education, but has done so in the CBSE as well,” he said.