Rahul Slams NTA Over Abu Dhabi NEET Centre Mix-Up, Says ‘Stop Gambling With Children’s Future’

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA) after a NEET-UG aspirant from Nagpur was mistakenly assigned an examination centre in Abu Dhabi for the re-examination. Using the incident to question the functioning of the country’s examination system, Gandhi accused authorities of subjecting students and their families to unnecessary stress and uncertainty.

The controversy emerged after Abdullah, a student from Nagpur, discovered that his revised admit card listed a test centre in the United Arab Emirates despite his preference for examination centres within Maharashtra.

Rahul Gandhi Questions NTA’s Functioning

Reacting to the episode, Rahul Gandhi said the incident reflected deeper problems within the country’s education and examination framework. He said, “A child from Nagpur had been preparing for the NEET re-exam for a month. Just one day before yesterday’s exam, he downloaded his admit card. His center turned out to be—Abu Dhabi. No passport, no money in the family to send him abroad, and no time left now. He cried all night and is refusing to take the exam—what kind of stress is this, can you even imagine?”

नागपुर का एक बच्चा एक महीने से NEET re-exam की तैयारी कर रहा था।

कल परीक्षा से ठीक एक दिन पहले उसने admit card डाउनलोड किया। उसका सेंटर निकला – अबू धाबी।

न पासपोर्ट, न परिवार के पास विदेश भेजने के पैसे, न अब कोई वक़्त बचा है। वो रातभर रोता रहा, और परीक्षा देने से ही मना कर रहा… https://t.co/TJOHUBnFDB

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 20, 2026

The Leader of the Opposition further questioned how such an error could occur in a national-level examination. “How did this even happen? Yesterday, no student should have had any complaint about not being able to reach their center. The NTA is actually just testing the patience of the country’s children and their parents. A system that can’t provide a center in a child’s own city but can send them abroad instead—it has no right to conduct exams. I said the same thing in Kota—this is no longer an education system. This is nothing but extortion of an entire generation’s money, time, and mental peace,” he said.

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Student Left Distressed After Discovering Centre Allocation Error

The issue came to light when Abdullah checked his admit card ahead of the NEET-UG re-examination. Instead of being allotted a centre in Maharashtra, he found that he had been assigned a venue in Abu Dhabi. The allocation was particularly puzzling because the student had selected Nagpur, Wardha and Bhandara as his preferred examination cities during the application process.

The mistake created significant anxiety for the candidate and his family. Since Abdullah does not possess a passport, travelling abroad to take the examination was not a feasible option.

The case quickly gained attention on social media, where many users criticized the examination body’s handling of the process and raised concerns about administrative lapses.

ALSO READ: PIB Debunks Viral NEET-UG 2026 Paper Leak Claim, Calls Video Fake

Congress Leader Demands Accountability

Rahul Gandhi used the incident to reiterate his criticism of the examination system, arguing that students deserve better safeguards and greater accountability from authorities. “Stop gambling with our children’s future,” he said.

“They deserve a sensitive, responsible, and accountable education system and exam authority. We will ensure they get it,” he added.

NTA Assures Corrective Action

Following public outrage over the issue, the National Testing Agency acknowledged the complaint and said steps were being taken to resolve it.

According to the agency, the matter is under review and necessary verification is being carried out. Officials assured that Abdullah would be allotted an examination centre in Nagpur within a few hours.

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