Maharashtra Congress MLA Amit Deshmukh, facing criticism over his alleged links to an accused in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak scam, broke his silence on Monday and hit out at the BJP. He said that it was under their governments at the Centre and state that “countless paper leaks” have occurred, leaving “the future of millions of students and educated youth bleak”.
The BJP had highlighted Amit’s alleged links to Professor Shivraj Motegaonkar, the founder of Latur-based Renukai Career Centre (RCC) coaching classes, who was arrested in the NEET paper leak scam. Motegaonkar had campaigned for Amit during the 2024 elections.
“The fact that the threads of this case have reached Latur—which has created an exemplary and ideal educational pattern in the country—is a matter that is extremely serious, unfortunate, and equally shocking. Overall, this paper leak incident is condemnable as it plays with the future of meritorious and hardworking students,” said Amit, the Latur MLA and the son of former Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, in a social media post.
Hoping for a thorough probe, Amit welcomed the speed with which the government was taking action in the case. Refraining from naming Motegaonkar, who runs classes in Latur and other parts of the state, Amit said, “I expect the harshest possible punishment for the guilty, ensuring that no one ever dares to commit such a crime again.”
‘Distortions, unnecessary statements’
Explaining why he stayed silent on the issue, Amit said, “I was faced with the question of whether it would be appropriate for me to comment while the investigative agencies are doing their job properly and the matter is sub-judice. However, in the meantime, some distorted discussions took place, and some people made unnecessary statements. So, as the representative of this city, I decided to speak on this.”
He further stressed that the Congress has consistently raised the issue of paper leaks and reiterated the party’s demand for systemic reforms. “In the last few years, transparency in education, recruitment, and competitive exams across the country has been lost. Due to paper leaks in many exams, the integrity of these examinations has been compromised. As a result, there is intense disapproval voiced in hushed tones by society regarding the laxity in the systems conducting such exams,” he said.
“The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, brought to the government’s notice that paper leaks have occurred in 70 examinations across the country and demanded reforms in these systems. Not stopping at just making demands, the Congress party has also fought this battle on the streets in addition to the discussions in Parliament,” Amit added.
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Amit said the NEET paper leak—affecting 2.2 to 2.3 million students—has embarrassed the government and forced cancellation of the exam. He also pointed to the arrests in the case, including a retired professor, a coaching class owner, and parents who allegedly purchased the leaked paper.
“Unfortunately, some people have tried to attach many old contexts to these arrests. Therefore, I want to clarify here that all the contexts provided by social media are baseless. It is not wise to link someone’s past statements to the present. The intent of those who have tried to link these contexts does not seem pure,” Deshmukh said in a direct reference to the BJP, which had criticised his association with Motegaonkar.
Accusing the BJP of politicising the issue to target him, Amit said, “…shallow leaders of the ruling party, who lack the maturity to know which subject to speak on and which not to, have started making irrelevant statements to gain political mileage in such a sensitive situation.”
‘Latur Pattern invincible’
Defending Latur’s reputation as a coaching hub, Amit said, “Many have tried to defeat the ‘Latur Pattern’ in the field of education, but have not succeeded. The ‘Latur Pattern’ has remained impregnable and invincible every time, and I am sure it will remain invincible in the future as well. This pattern has been created through the tireless and consistent efforts of students, teachers, professors, parents, and institution heads in Latur. If one person commits a crime, the entire society is not labelled as criminal. Based on that logic, if some intruders have committed wrongdoings, I believe that this will not affect the overall educational reputation of Latur.”
