Thiruvananthapuram, July 23 -- Leader of the Opposition in Keralam Pinarayi Vijayan, on Thursday alleged that a "mafia" was behind the alleged NEET examination scam and demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi also cannot absolve himself of responsibility.

Vijayan said Kerala's public education system had become a model for the country and alleged that attempts were now being made to "roll back that progress and destroy public education".

He said the Students' Federation of India (SFI) was actively participating in the ongoing student and youth protest in Delhi.

"Large-scale fraud, deception and criminal offences have taken place in connection with the NEET examination...