Akhilesh Yadav Accuses Centre of Arrogance Over NEET Paper Leak, Calls for Dialogue

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday accused the central government of functioning with arrogance instead of democratic values, urging it to admit its mistake and initiate dialogue with protesting students. Speaking to reporters at the Lucknow airport, Yadav criticized the BJP-led government for its handling of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) paper leak controversy.

Yadav claimed that repeated paper leaks had jeopardized the future of lakhs of students, and pointed to the government's own admission of irregularities by ordering a re-examination. 'The matter is absolutely clear. The government should accept the demands of students and youth. The minister himself admitted that there were irregularities in the examination and that the paper was leaked. That is why the examination had to be conducted again,' he said.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister alleged that paper leaks were not accidental but orchestrated. 'These papers are not merely getting leaked; they are being made to leak so that students do not get jobs,' he said, linking the issue to employment and reservation.

Yadav also took a swipe at the BJP government's understanding of accountability, saying it refers to 'the ability to fill accounts' in the context of the alleged Ram Temple donation theft. However, he stated that the immediate focus should remain on the paper leak issue and that his party would continue to raise it until the Union Education Minister resigns.

'In a democracy, the government should listen to the people... A solution can emerge through dialogue,' Yadav said, urging the government to avoid exerting pressure on protesters. He added that the government's refusal to concede demands reflects arrogance rather than democratic values.