New Delhi, July 25: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday said the Supreme Court's decision on the NEET-UG matter is not a defeat of students but of the Congress' "irresponsible attitude" and "petty politics".

The Congress, he charged is the "father" of paper leaks and corruption. "The Supreme Court has clearly stated that there has been no systemic breach in the sanctity of the exam. The Congress does not trust the Centre government but does it not trust the Supreme Court too. The SC's decision on the NEET issue is not a defeat of students but a defeat of Congress' irresponsible attitude, fallacy and petty politics," Pradhan wrote on X. NEET-UG Exam 2024: Supreme Court Says ‘No Sufficient Material on Record To Order Re-Exam for NEET’.

The Education Minister questioned Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over paper leaks in Rajasthan when his party was in power. "Is Kharge ji not aware of the paper leaks that happened before the BJP government came to power in Rajasthan? Why did he keep mum on the paper leaks that happened in his government? Congress is father of paper leaks and corruption.

"The people of the country have rejected Congress for the third time in a row. Congress is unable to digest the third consecutive defeat. To make political gains and save its rapidly slipping political ground, Congress has only the support of lies, half-truths and anarchy," Pradhan added. In a major setback to unsuccessful aspirants of NEET-UG 2024, the Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the pleas seeking cancellation and re-test of the controversy-ridden exam, holding that there was no evidence on record to conclude that it was "vitiated" on account of "systemic breach" of its sanctity. No Re-Test for NEET-UG Exam 2024: Supreme Court Rules Out Cancellation of Controversial NEET Exam, Says ‘No Data To Prove Systemic Leak of Question Paper, Malpractices’.

The verdict came as a shot in the arm for the embattled NDA government and the National Testing Agency (NTA), which were facing strong criticism and protests, on streets and in Parliament, over alleged large-scale malpractices like question paper leak, fraud and impersonation in the prestigious test held on May 5.

"Kharge ji, neither you, nor your leader Rahul Gandhi, nor your party is concerned about the future of students. You are only concerned about your future and the future of one family," he charged. "Such tampering with facts and truth raises a big question on your intelligence. Stop tarnishing the image of India's examination system and playing with the future of students," Pradhan said.