Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday slammed the ruling BJP over the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam and the NEET row, saying youngsters are suffering because the independent education system has been “demolished and captured” by the saffron party and their parent organisation.

Alleging paper leaks in both the exams, he also demanded that strict action should be taken against the culprits at the earliest.

The government, however, reiterated that the UGC-NET conducted on 18th June was cancelled as there was a chance that the integrity of the examination may have been compromised and added that the next date will be announced soon.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, Gandhi said, “When I went on my Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, students told me paper leaks were endemic in India. One paper (UGC-NET) has been cancelled. We do not know what is going to happen with the NEET-UG.”

Recalling the infamous Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh, he said, “Now, we are seeing an expansion of Vyapam across the country. This is extremely damaging to students. It is happening because all our institutions have been captured. Our vice chancellors are placed not based on merit but because they belong to a particular organisation. This organisation and the BJP have penetrated our education system and destroyed it.”

“Youngsters, I want you to know the reason you are suffering is because an independent and objective education system has been demolished and it has been replaced by an education system that is captured by the BJP and their parent organisation. Until this capture is released, you are going to suffer, you are going to see cancellation of exams, and paper leaks again and again,” the Congress leader said.

He said it is very important that the people who are guilty are brought to book and they are punished.

Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the matter, the Congress leader said, “The Prime minister is crippled. He is not bothered about NEET, he is bothered about the Speaker’s post. That is where his mind is. We have a prime minister now who will find it very difficult to function. The prime minister is psychologically broken.”

In response to the question whether he will raise these issues in the upcoming session of Parliament, Gandhi said, “We will raise this issue in Parliament. We (INDIA bloc) will make sure that we put so much pressure on them that this issue is resolved.”

Earlier in the day, Govind Jaiswal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Education, said the acting on specific inputs, the government took a “pro-active” step and cancelled the NET (National Eligibility Test). He informed that the matter has been referred to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Jaiswal said the next date of the exam will be declared soon.

Asked about the raging NEET row, he said the issue has two components. “Firstly, the grace marks matter has been settled, secondly, few people have been arrested in Gujarat and Bihar. They are being questioned and the probe is underway,” he added.