Congress MP KC Venugopal launched a scathing attack on the Center over the paper leak in the Lok Sabha. He said that we are ready to pass the bill, but the intention of the government is not clear. He also raised questions on the absence of the PM and the Home Minister and alleged misuse of agencies.
New Delhi [भारत]July 28 (ANI): Congress MP KC Venugopal on Tuesday attacked the Center over the paper leak, saying the party was ready to pass the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, but the government is not honest about irregularities in the examinations.
During the discussion on amendments to the Anti-Paper Leak Bill in the Lok Sabha, KC Venugopal questioned the Center on the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in the House. Pointing out inconsistencies in the implementation of the 2024 Act, he alleged that central agencies are used against political actors instead of investigating paper leaks.
Venugopal said, “In May 2026, NEET-UG paper was leaked. You want to give credit to Narendra Modi ji for bringing the law. (Is it) a big deal? How many students shed their blood for this law? How much lathicharge did you do? How many AK-47s were used? The Home Minister and the Prime Minister are not ready to sit here because they have a sense of guilt in their mind. They cannot face things. Jitendra Singh, you are talking about this important bill. They are talking about it, but the Prime Minister is not ready to listen to what is happening in the country, what the MPs are saying.”
The Congress leader also targeted Amit Shah over police action against the protesters. He said, “All these atrocities took place under the Home Ministry. Delhi is a Union Territory, which is directly controlled by the Home Ministry. He is not here. They say 56 inches chest, not even five inches. 22.8 lakh students were appearing for NEET-UG, but it got leaked at the setting stage itself. CBI, ED and Income Tax agencies were powerful at one time; you completely misused all these agencies. The agencies are only for the political leaders and your Decides to search political enemies.”
Venugopal further said, “In 2024, you brought a law; now again you are bringing a law. We are ready to pass the law, but if you are not honest in addressing the concerns of students and exam failures, then this law will serve no purpose. This is not an issue of law but of failure of the system.”
Paper leak ‘crisis of expectations’
Terming the paper leak as a “crisis of expectations”, he said he was speaking for the students who committed suicide and the parents who worked hard to educate their children.
He said, “This is not just a discussion on a piece of legislation, but this discussion has become an emotional message for the youth of this country. The speaker from the opposition bench has expressed the emotions that the nation feels nowadays. I stand up to talk about the dreams of the youth of India, about the mothers who sold their jewelery to pay the coaching fees, about the fathers who work day and night so that their children can study and about the students who studied for years for an examination. Only to find out that the question paper has been leaked. I stand to talk about those who scored exceptional marks but could not afford coaching. And the most painful thing is that I talk about those children who took their lives. It is a crisis of expectations. It not only destroys the education system but also the future of the country. Has been.”
Suicide rate among students increased by 80%
Presenting the figures, he argued that the suicide rate among students has increased by 80 per cent since 2014, calling it a state of emergency. Venugopal said, “According to the National Crime Records Bureau’s Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI) report, student suicides have increased by almost 80 per cent from 8068 in 2014 to 14,488 in 2026. The ADSI report has recorded exam failure as a separate category. This is a reward given by the Modi government. 21 per cent of student suicides in the country are due to exam failure. Isn’t this worrying?”
“These are not statistics, but an emergency. The Education Ministry has also recognized the psychological distress faced by students. The Manodarpan helpline, launched in July 2020 to provide psychological support to students, has received more than 3.32 lakh calls till March 2026,” he said.
Uproar in the House over Priyanka Gandhi’s statement
Earlier in the House, there was a heated exchange over Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s remarks against the newly appointed Education Minister, with Union ministers Pralhad Joshi and Kiren Rijiju accusing her of spreading misinformation and making personal allegations.
Speaking during the discussion in the Lok Sabha, Priyanka Gandhi made remarks against the newly appointed Education Minister, targeting the government over exam irregularities and issues related to accountability. Priyanka Gandhi said, “The Prime Minister appointed a new Education Minister, a person who had expressed approval and even joy over the release of the convicts of raping a pregnant woman…”
Objecting to the comments, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi should certify her statements, calling it misinformation.
What are the new provisions in the bill?
Lok Sabha began discussion on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill at 2 pm today. The Bill proposes to enhance the punishment for persons resorting to unfair means, including increasing the period of imprisonment to a minimum of five years, extendable to ten years, whereas the existing provision provides for a punishment of not less than three years and not more than five years. There is also a proposal to increase the maximum fine from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.
For organized exam-related offences, the amendment bill proposes to increase the minimum imprisonment period from five years to seven years, extendable to ten years, while the maximum fine will be increased from Rs 1 crore to Rs 10 crore.
The Bill also empowers the Center to constitute a Special Task Force to investigate paper leaks and examination-related crimes and to designate sessions courts as special fast track courts for day-to-day trial of offenses under the Act. (ANI)
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