TET paper leak: Oppn tears into Maha govt over exam malpractices, demands probe

Mumbai, June 27 (IANS) Launching a scathing attack on the ruling dispensation in Maharashtra over the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) question paper leak and subsequent cancellation just one day before the exam, the Opposition parties including the Congress and NCP(SP) on Saturday slammed the BJP-led Mahayuti government over exam malpractices and demanded an impartial probe.

The political storm erupted following reports that the question paper for the TET exam—originally scheduled to be held across the state on Sunday, June 28—was leaked in Thane, the home turf of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) President, Harshwardhan Sapkal, warned that the Congress party would hit the streets if strict action is not taken against the culprits.

Criticising the administrative machinery, the Congress state chief accused the BJP-led alliance of sheer incompetence, stating that the government has failed to conduct even a single examination securely.

“The functioning of this government is completely riddled with loopholes and inefficiency. They lead the charts when it comes to making hollow announcements, but they cannot even manage to conduct an examination properly,” Sapkal said.

He further questioned the political nexus behind the repeated instances of exam malpractices, asking, “Who is providing political protection to this paper-leak racket that is ruining the hard work, dreams, and future of lakhs of students?”

Sapkal noted that while the government boasts about “transparent governance,” the reality on the ground is an uninterrupted cycle of leaked papers. He emphasised that this chronic issue has subjected both students and parents to extreme distress, forcing honest candidates to worry about leaked question papers rather than focussing on their hard work and studies.

“Paper leaks are no longer isolated administrative failures; they have become the definitive identity of this government. This is an open assault on the future of our hardworking and meritorious youth,” Sapkal added.

Drawing parallels to national developments, the MPCC Chief pointed out that the TET leak comes on the heels of the massive, countrywide outrage over the NEET-UG paper leak.

“The entire country expressed its anger, and lakhs of students took to the streets, yet Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has not resigned. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has not uttered a single word on this national crisis,” Sapkal remarked, calling the BJP government’s apathy toward institutional corruption in education deeply unfortunate.

Highlighting the state’s expanding involvement in competitive exam syndicates, Sapkal expressed concern over how deep the roots of this malpractice run.

“What exactly is happening in Maharashtra? The TET paper gets leaked right under the administration’s nose in Thane, while the tentacles of the nationwide NEET scam are also tracing back directly to our state,” he said.

Concluding his statement, he asserted that the ruling combine has lost the moral authority to govern if it cannot protect the integrity of basic recruitment tests. He demanded that the government move beyond cosmetic, minor actions and deploy a definitive, permanent solution to weed out the paper-leak menace, failing which the youth of the state would give a fitting reply to the rulers.

The Congress Legislative Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar remarked, “What’s going on in Maharashtra? The TET paper leaks in Thane, and the threads of the NEET paper leak are found right in our state. No matter what the exam is, paper leaks have become the hallmark of this government. This is an outright murder of the future of hardworking students who study day and night. This incompetent government can’t even conduct a single exam securely—that’s what’s being proven here.”

“Those in power are only interested in clinging to their chairs; they couldn’t care less about the pain of lakhs of students in Maharashtra and their parents. This is a glaring failure of this government.

“If the government has even a shred of shame left, they should immediately put an end to this once and for all. These rulers, who trample on the hard work of students, have no moral right to sit in power. The public won’t rest until they teach a lesson to those who toy with the future of our youth,” he said.

Maharashtra NCP(SP) spokesman Amol Matele claimed that paper leak cannot take place without direct involvement of the insiders saying that government failed to learn a lesson especially after the recent NEET exam fiasco.

–IANS

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