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New Delhi: The cancellation of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for undergraduate admissions (NEET-UG) following a paper leak has once again put the spotlight on Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan. Pradhan, against whom Congress member of parliament (MP) Jairam Ramesh has moved a notice of motion of privilege, is not new to criticism over the functioning of his ministry.

From paper leaks, to the role of the National Testing Agency (NTA), to his dismissal of a parliamentary standing committee report, this year alone, Pradhan’s ministry has faced flak over the now-stayed University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026 and an NCERT book ban that included references to “corruption in judiciary.”

While Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has demanded Pradhan’s resignation after the latest paper leak and the subsequent NEET-UG cancellation, the education minister is not the only member of the Narendra Modi government facing scrutiny. 

With the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri has come under fire – not only for his repeated mentions in the Epstein files, but also for rising fuel prices amid reports of shortages, despite his assurances that there are “no supply problems.”

The crashing rupee, branded “Asia’s worst performing currency” months before the West Asia crisis, along with fleeing foreign direct investment and a perilous economy, has prompted a myriad of questions for Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Dharmendra Pradhan and the NEET-UG crisis

Over 22 lakh candidates appeared for the NEET 2026 exam, held on May 3 across 5,432 centres nationwide, before it was cancelled on Tuesday, May 12, due to alleged irregularities linked to a paper leak. 

Last week, Pradhan did not address the continued paper leaks in various entrance exams; instead, he announced that the test would transition to a computer-based format from next year. At a press conference, he also dismissed a parliamentary committee report that had flagged concerns surrounding how the NTA conducts exams, saying that the panel includes members of the opposition. 

Bengaluru: Members of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) hold torches and placards as they raise slogans during a protest against the against the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 over a suspected paper leak, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, at Freedom Park, in Bengaluru, Karnataka on Thursday, May 14, 2026. Photo: PTI/Shailendra Bhojak.

The parliamentary panel, in 2025, had questioned........

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