Congress leader Pawan Khera launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led Central government, labelling the proposed ‘Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026’ as a “distraction” while reaffirming the party’s commitment to raising the NEET controversy and the Ayodhya donation row.
Speaking to ANI, Khera dismissed the government’s legislative agenda as an attempt to shift focus from pressing national concerns.
“All these are distractions; we all know this government and this party by now. They will always distract you; it’s not a circus to keep people entertained and busy. They don’t take it seriously,” he said regarding the National Honour Bill.
On the ongoing protests by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and Sonam Wangchuk, Khera emphasised that the core grievance remains the handling of the education ministry.
“The original demand was the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan. I don’t know if the three demands that Wangchuk has raised include the demand I haven’t seen. However, our students’ echo has continued. The Dehradun event was a large event; thousands, over ten thousand students attended despite heavy rains,” Khera noted.
He further stated that the Congress party, led by Rahul Gandhi, would not back down on the NEET issue.
“Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party would like to continue to raise our demands and force this government, either in the Parliament or on the streets of this country, to show sensitivity to the students of this country. Gandhi will continue to raise his demands across the country and in the Parliament.”
On the Ayodhya Ram Temple donation theft, Khera said that such things caused widespread resentment among Hindu communities.
“This is an issue which has hurt the religious sentiments of millions of Hindus. They feel betrayed by the BJP, RSS, and the VHP; therefore, we are going to amplify their concerns and their anger.”
Addressing the opposition’s walkout from the all-party meeting yesterday, prompted by the government’s invitation to a rebel TMC leader, Khera accused the ruling party of systematically undermining democratic institutions.
“It’s a total hijack of democracy. The way BJP is going about breaking parties, buying MPs, and threatening MPs–what is happening today has never happened in the history of this country. Therefore, there is a need to collectively oppose this hijacking of democracy,” he added.