Raghav Chadha defends silence on NEET paper leak, backs bill

Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Thursday said he stayed silent on the NEET paper leak because the matter needed institutional reforms, not political statements. Speaking during the debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, Chadha said his role changed after moving from the Opposition to the Treasury benches. "Earlier, when I was in the Opposition, it was my job to raise questions. Now I am on the treasury benches, so my responsibility is no longer to ask questions but to provide solutions," he said.

Chadha acknowledged that lakhs of aspirants and their families make tremendous sacrifices, and their anger over the leak was justified. He commended the Centre's "responsive action" and noted that a chargesheet was filed within 75 days. He added that future NEET exams would be held on a computer-based system instead of OMR sheets.

The BJP MP termed paper leaks a "chronic disease" and appealed to political parties not to view the matter from a partisan angle. He urged all stakeholders to back the proposed bill to make the exam system more transparent and restore public trust.