Congress steps up attack on Centre over paper leak protests, demands debate in Parliament and accountability

The Congress party on Monday mounted a coordinated attack on the Narendra Modi-led government over the alleged police action against students protesting against examination paper leaks at Jantar Mantar, with Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accusing the Centre of suppressing the voices of the country’s youth instead of addressing their concerns.

The issue reverberated both inside and outside Parliament on the opening day of the Monsoon Session, as opposition parties pressed for an immediate discussion on the recurring paper leak crisis and the alleged crackdown on student protesters.

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In a post on social media platform X, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi launched a blistering attack on the Prime Minister and the Union government, alleging that the Centre had consistently failed India’s students.
“Prime Minister Modi is the most anti-youth Prime Minister in India’s history—so anti-youth that he cannot even seek the resignation of a failed Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan,” Gandhi said.

Highlighting what he described as the scale of the crisis, Gandhi claimed that “152 paper leaks” had affected “7.5 crore students” while alleging that no one responsible had been punished.

“Not a single guilty person has been punished. Who has been punished? The hardworking youth,” he said.
Referring to the alleged police action against students protesting examination irregularities, Gandhi said the government resorted to force instead of responding to legitimate questions on education.

“When these students raised legitimate questions about education, they were met with batons and detention. The criminals responsible for the leaks are free, while students raising genuine issues are dragged away and beaten. This government is not just failing the youth—it has turned against them,” he alleged.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also criticised the government’s handling of the controversy, saying the BJP-led government should introspect over its policies and administrative failures rather than resorting to force against students.
In a post on X, she said the government should review its “policies and inefficiencies” instead of “using batons on children.”

She referred to the controversy surrounding the NEET examination and alleged irregularities that followed its cancellation.
“First the NEET paper leaked, the examination was cancelled, and reports of irregularities even emerged during the re-NEET examination. We were told that the Prime Minister himself would monitor the situation. Despite that, why and how is all this happening? How are so many paper leaks occurring repeatedly?” she asked.

Priyanka Gandhi further demanded a detailed discussion on the issue in Parliament, saying the Prime Minister must listen to the concerns of crores of young Indians and answer their questions.
Speaking to reporters in the Parliament House complex earlier in the day, Priyanka Gandhi said the opposition was united in demanding a discussion on the country’s education policy, alleging that the government was unwilling to debate the issue.

“We are all demanding a discussion on the education policy because there are serious problems with it, but the government is simply not ready for a discussion,” she said.
“Instead, tear gas shells are being fired at children and they are being beaten,” she alleged.
Echoing similar concerns in the Rajya Sabha, Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government of attempting to silence students protesting against paper leaks.
“Children are sitting at Jantar Mantar against paper leaks, but they are being lathi-charged. The Modi government is trying to suppress the voice of our youth,” Kharge said during his intervention in the Upper House.
The Congress leaders’ remarks came as opposition members repeatedly disrupted proceedings in both Houses of Parliament, demanding an immediate discussion on the paper leak controversy and alleging that the government was refusing to address one of the biggest concerns confronting students and job aspirants across the country.
The paper leak issue has emerged as a major political flashpoint following the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 examination after a massive paper leak allegedly affected nearly 22 lakh candidates. The controversy has fuelled nationwide protests by students and intensified demands for comprehensive reforms to restore the credibility of competitive examinations and recruitment tests.
The Congress has consistently accused the Centre of failing to protect the integrity of public examinations and has sought the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, alleging repeated administrative failures. The party has also demanded strict punishment for those responsible for examination fraud, time-bound investigations into paper leak cases and systemic reforms to ensure transparency and accountability.
The government, however, has maintained that investigations into the paper leak cases are underway and has asserted that stringent action will be taken against those found guilty. It has also said that measures are being strengthened to safeguard the integrity of public examinations.
With the opposition making the issue a central plank of its strategy during the Monsoon Session, the controversy over examination paper leaks and the alleged police action against protesting students is set to remain one of the most contentious issues before Parliament in the coming days.