Members of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) staged a protest on Sunday in Pune, Maharashtra, calling for action against Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in connection with the NEET UG 2026 paper leak case.

The protestors sought justice for the aspirants affected by the incident.

Addressing the protest, IYC National President Uday Bhanu Chib accused the Education Minister of “selling the youth’s future for money” and called for strict action against him. He affirmed trust in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s leadership and stated that the IYC will continue its protests until justice is delivered to the impacted youth.

“We have protested in Pune, and there is only one demand regarding the traitor Dharmendra Pradhan, who is out to sell the future of students and youth for the greed of money. Until action is taken against him, the Youth Congress will continue to struggle under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership. Protests are happening across the country. Until justice is served to the youth of the country, protests will continue nationwide,” Chib said.

Earlier in the day, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge criticised the Centre amid the ongoing controversy concerning alleged irregularities and concerns over the CBSE evaluation process. He condemned the labelling of students raising concerns as “Deep State Agents” and “Pakistanis” rather than addressing their issues.

In a post on X, Kharge stated that both CBSE students and NEET aspirants had become victims of what he described as the government's failures in the education sector.

“They set out to create ‘Exam Warriors’, but instead branded them as ‘Deep State Agents’ and ‘Pakistanis’. Whether it is 17-year-old CBSE candidates or NEET aspirants, the Modi government has trapped the nation’s youth in the web of its corruption, conspiring to dismantle the country’s education system,” Kharge said.

Continuing his criticism, Kharge alleged that young people's protests and voices are routinely suppressed and met with baseless accusations. He reiterated the Congress party's demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

“Whenever the youth takes to the streets, Whenever Gen Z raises its voice… Every single time, their voice has been suppressed, Baseless allegations have been hurled at them, And they have been thrown behind bars! The BJP did not provide jobs, They lined their own pockets through recruitment exams, And completely ruined the education system!! I am reiterating once again– Seek the resignation of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan… Only then, Modi, will the youth get real justice,” Kharge said.