Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday slammed the Centre over its decision to temporarily restrict access to messaging platform Telegram ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, saying the government was targeting students instead of acting against those responsible for repeated exam paper leaks.

Taking a swipe at the Narendra Modi government, the Congress leader said the move was equivalent to “putting a lock on the victim’s house instead of catching the thief.”

Rahul Gandhi calls Telegram ban government’s ‘new trick’

Takin to X, Gandhi questioned the logic behind restricting access to Telegram, arguing that millions of students across India have long depended on the platform for exam preparation.

“Telegram Ban — Modi government’s new trick to stop paper leaks. Meaning, instead of catching the thief, just put a lock on the victim’s door,” Rahul Gandhi said.

He further said students had been using Telegram for years to access study material, notes, mock tests and discussion groups, and taking away that facility could not be considered a solution to the larger issue of examination leaks.

“Lakhs of students have been studying on Telegram for years — notes, test series, discussions, preparation. How does snatching that facility become the solution to paper leaks?” Gandhi wrote.

‘Paper leak mafia thriving under government’s watch’

The Congress leader also argued that the temporary restriction was unlikely to solve the problem, claiming those involved in organised exam fraud would simply shift to other communication platforms.

“It’s not even foolproof — every student in the country knows this, and so does the paper leak mafia. So who will the next ban be on? WhatsApp?” he said.

Escalating his criticism, Gandhi accused the government of focusing on symbolic actions rather than addressing the root cause behind repeated examination controversies.

“On exam day, students will be frisked. Pockets will be cut open with scissors. Question papers will be sent via the Air Force. There won’t be any shortage of theatrics. But not a single strike at the root of the disease — because the paper leak mafia is thriving under this very government’s watch,” he said.

He added, “Modi Ji, drop the theatrics. Strike at the mafia, not the students.”

Government blocks Telegram access ahead of NEET re-exam

On Tuesday, the Centre temporarily restricted access to Telegram across India ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for June 21. The move followed recommendations from the National Testing Agency, which said the step was aimed at preventing cheating rackets and stopping misinformation linked to exam paper leak claims.

The restriction will remain in place until June 22.

Meanwhile, Google also removed Telegram from the Play Store, while Apple has also reportedly delisted the app from its App Store in compliance with government directives. Existing users in India have also reported disruptions in accessing the messaging platform, though the service remains accessible through VPN connections.

NTA says strict steps needed to prevent malpractice

Defending the decision, NTA Director General Abhishek Singh said that authorities were taking every possible step to ensure the examination process remains secure.

“We will not let anything go wrong. We will take all possible actions to ensure that the examination is conducted without any malpractice,” Singh had said.

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov criticises India’s decision

The temporary restriction has also drawn criticism from Telegram founder Pavel Durov, who said banning the platform was the wrong approach to tackling exam fraud.

Responding on X, Durov said, “India’s IT ministry banned Telegram for one week because some users shared leaked exam questions. This punishes 150 million plus ordinary Telegram users in India — not the insiders who leaked the exam materials.”

He added that the restriction had failed to solve the actual problem.

“The ban hasn’t stopped anything. The leaks just moved to other apps. Banning it, even temporarily, is a mistake,” Durov said.