Congress Launches Nationwide Youth Campaign Over Paper Leaks and Unemployment

To expand its appeal to young voters, the Congress party declared a countrywide campaign on Saturday. It centres on exam irregularities, paper leaks and joblessness. The party said the initiative addresses what it termed the Centre's failure to protect the interests of students and job aspirants.

Spearheaded by Rahul Gandhi, the drive kicks off with a student gathering in Kota on June 17. The campaign will bring together students, job aspirants, youth organisations and educators affected by the recent examination scandals.

K.C. Venugopal announced the first phase of the outreach programme. According to the Congress, escalating exam fees, paper leaks and an absence of accountability have compromised the prospects of millions of Indian youths.

The campaign will subsequently outline comprehensive policy demands and a schedule of demonstrations across major Indian cities in the coming weeks.

Campaign schedule and demands

Following the initial event in Kota, the campaign will travel to Prayagraj on July 10, Patna on July 11 and Delhi on July 14. The outreach will include campus visits, coaching-centre interactions, social media campaigns and direct engagement with students across the country.

The Congress plans to push for the decentralisation of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), the abolition of examination fees, stringent action against paper leak rackets, and greater accountability for recurring examination irregularities. The party also reiterated its demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The party said it would seek a comprehensive discussion in Parliament on issues affecting students and youth. It is actively mobilising support through the National Students' Union of India, the Indian Youth Congress and its regional state units.

BJP rejects resignation demands

As of June 2026, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership firmly rejected the resignation demands. According to reports, the BJP dismissed the Congress campaign as "political propaganda," "misinformation," and a "premeditated conspiracy" driven by frustration over "repeated electoral defeats."

BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia accused Gandhi of making reckless allegations and prioritising political theatre over hard facts regarding the CBSE evaluation system.

Pradhan said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is directly overseeing systemic reforms to ensure an error-free NEET-UG re-examination scheduled for June 21, 2026,