New Delhi

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday criticised the Centre’s decision to temporarily block access to the Telegram messaging platform ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, calling the move ineffective and claiming that the government lacks the political will to curb examination paper leaks.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced that access to Telegram will remain restricted until June 22 as part of measures aimed at preventing cheating and the spread of misinformation during the NEET-UG re-test scheduled for June 21.

According to NTA Director General Abhishek Singh, the temporary restriction forms part of a broader strategy to ensure the examination is conducted fairly and without malpractice.

Reacting to the decision, Kejriwal took to social media platform X and argued that such measures would not address the root causes of recurring examination scandals.

"The government has no real intention of ending paper leaks. That is why we are witnessing unusual measures such as transporting examination papers in Army aircraft and shutting down Telegram," he said.

Questioning the effectiveness of the restrictions, the former Delhi chief minister asked whether blocking a messaging application could genuinely prevent future leaks, answering his own question by saying it would not.

Kejriwal further alleged that paper leak networks have evolved into a lucrative racket involving large sums of money and claimed that those responsible enjoy protection at higher levels. He suggested that meaningful action against such malpractice would require dismantling the larger ecosystem behind it.

As part of the precautionary measures, the government has also instructed Google and Apple to remove Telegram from their app stores until June 22.

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The controversy comes after the NEET-UG examination, originally conducted on May 3, was cancelled by the NTA on May 12 following allegations of irregularities and paper leaks. The decision affected lakhs of medical aspirants across the country and led to widespread protests and demands for accountability.