Opposition Reservations over Anti-paper Leak Bill Enough to Stop the Menace, Questions Use of Force against Student Protesters

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, July 28: The opposition leaders on Tuesday attacked the Narendra Modi government over the alleged “brutal” police action against the unarmed students protesting against paper leaks at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and the appointment of Mr Pralhad Joshi as the new union education minister, who they said, was a “defender of rapists.”

While the NDA members whole-heartedly supported the measure with the Telegu Desam Party, which is supporting the BJP-led government at the Centre, suggested decentralised system of question paper settings in public examinations, most of the opposition members though supported move to deter the paper leaking lobby, felt the bill might not be able to achieve the desired results as mere stricter punishment would not be enough to stop the menace.

The Opposition also questioned why force was used against students demonstrating over the issue and said the government must explain the circumstances that led to the police crackdown. They argued that the Prime Minister and the Home Minister should address the House and respond to concerns over the handling of the protests.

Expressing his “amazement” at Pralhad Joshi being picked as Education Minister after Dharmendra Pradhan had to resign from the post, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi has said the BJP has put its faith in someone who was a “defender of rapists.”

“Education Minister of India – the BJP puts a man who is a defender of rapists. That is the most filthy type of man. There can be no filthier man than somebody who says that rapists need protection. That is the Education Minister of India today. It’s a strange reaction from the PM, that there are so many people in his cabinet, he could have chosen anyone of them. But he chooses a person who protects rapists. Quite amazing!” he said.

Joshi, a five-time Lok Sabha MP who is one of the most experienced ministers in the Narendra Modi cabinet, was the Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister in 2018, when 11 men serving life terms for raping Bilkis Bano and killing her family during the 2002 Gujarat riots were granted early release.

Defending the decision, which had prompted massive outrage, Joshi had said the convicts had spent “quite some time” in prison and there was a provision for their release. “When the government and the concerned people have taken the decision, I don’t find anything wrong in it as it is a process of law,” he had said.

His sister and the Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, while participating in the debate on the anti-paper leak bill, also referred to Mr Joshi’s expressing happiness over the release of the rape convicts and questioned the government over his appointment. Her remarks triggered a furore in Parliament.

Joshi said the Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi should authenticate her statements, calling them misinformation. “Priyanka ji should have authenticated her statements. Action should be taken regarding the misinformation being spread. Can one simply say anything and get away with it?… I refute these allegations. She should be expelled and must apologise,” Joshi said.

Ms Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also attacked the government for what she said, “hollowed out” India’s education system by filling it by RSS functionaries. “They have hollowed out our education system by filling it with RSS pracharaks. They further complicated matters by forcibly establishing the NTA and centralising the system. Instead of increasing year by year, the share of the education budget in the country’s total budget is actually declining,” she said. “The education system has developed flaws. The exam system has failed. Not a single mafia member has been punished,” she said.

She also questioned the alleged police excesses on the student protesters and asked the government as to who authorised the use of pellet guns on protesting students. “”What was the need to use pellet guns on the country’s youth. Were they terrorists,” she asked. “The Home Minister Amit Shah must answer who authorised the use of pellet guns on protesting students,” she said.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent addresses to the youth on Instagram, Priyanka Gandhi said changing the camera angle would not change the reality and that the prime minister needs to change his “heart’s angle” to understand the grievances of the youth.

Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde dismissed the Opposition’s claim that former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned under pressure, asserting that the decision was voluntary. “Dharmendra Pradhan resigned of his own will, taking moral responsibility for what happened. It was not because of your pressure,” Shinde said amid protests and booing by Opposition MPs.

Reiterating the DMK’s long-standing opposition to the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), party MP Dayanidhi Maran said the exam was discriminatory and unfair to Dalits and poor students.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee launched a sharp attack on the Centre over recurring examination paper leaks, saying the current generation would give the Modi government an “F” in its report card. “The BJP government should remember that every generation writes its own report card. For the Modi government, that report card would read: ‘F’ for Failed. The Modi government failed to stop paper leaks,” Banerjee said.

“Every student deserves the assurance that examinations should be fair. Every parent deserves the confidence that success is determined by hard work, talent, and integrity, not by money, influence, or organised criminal syndicates. But support for this Bill cannot be a substitute for accountability. A stronger law is necessary, yes, but by itself, it is not sufficient. If examinations continue to be compromised by systematic failures, no amendment, however stringent, will restore the faith that millions of students have lost,” Mr Banerjee said.

He also claimed that the “Bill that is being discussed is not a solution. Rather, this Bill is an admission. It is an admission that the NDA and the BJP government have failed. It failed to protect examinations. It failed to protect students. It failed to protect merit. Today, after this failure has exploded across the country, it wants Parliament to believe that increasing punishment will erase 12 years of incompetence. This government has mastered one art: whenever governance fails, they change the law; whenever administration collapses, they increase punishment; whenever institutions fail, they announce another committee. But governance is not done through headlines. Governance is measured by outcomes. So, what is the outcome, Sir? Paper leak after paper leak. Exam cancellation after exam cancellation”

The Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav slammed the government over the functioning of the National Testing Agency, questioning why one of the most important educational bodies in the country has been outsourced. He attacked the NDA-led central government over the paper leaks and the students’ protests, calling it an issue which affected people across age groups of a family. He said the government removed Dharmendra Pradhan to save the Pradhan Mantri (PM) Narendra Modi.

“You sacked Pradhan to save Pradhan Mantri (Prime Minister),” Mr Yadav said taking a pot shot at the Centre on the issue of NEET paper leaks and resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as education minister and said the students protest forced the government to bow down and accept the demands.

Applauding the students for the protest, Akhilesh said what started with a joke evolved into a nationwide movement, which even forced the government to think democratically. “I complement the students on their movement. They have turned even this government democratic as they had to allow the protest. We have seen times when this government didn’t even let people protest,” Yadav said. “Sarkaar bhi jhukti hai, jhukane wala chahiye (Government too bows down if it’s faced with a tough opposition),” he added crediting the students with forcing the government to listen.

Backing the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj accused the Opposition of displaying “selective outrage” over examination paper leaks, saying such incidents also happened during the Congress-led UPA regime and asserted that the Modi government had undertaken structural reforms to strengthen the examination system.

She said the proposed law would strengthen the fight against examination malpractices through measures such as fast-track courts. She said the legislation “protects merit, upholds fairness and safeguards the dreams of India’s youth,” calling it an example of “responsive governance by a responsible Modi government.” Swaraj also linked the bill to the Centre’s broader vision of youth-led development under ‘Viksit Bharat’ and highlighted Mr Modi’s Pariksha Pe Charcha initiative, saying it aimed to transform “Exam Worriers to Exam Warriors.”

Ms Swaraj claimed that the proposed legislation was the need of the hour to crack down on the “paper leak mafia.” She asserted that the bill had been introduced with the intention of strengthening the legal framework against examination fraud and described it as a reflection of the government’s sensitivity towards students and its commitment to protecting the integrity of public examinations.

The Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi took a swipe at the Prime Minister alleging that Mr Modi was more focused on Instagram reels than addressing the concerns of students. Accusing the Centre of failing to tackle the examination paper leak crisis effectively, Gogoi said the government should prioritise meaningful reforms in the education system instead of concentrating on social media outreach.

He questioned the functioning of the NTA and the government’s handling of alleged irregularities, he said the NTA has a sanctioned strength of 34 officials and asked how 47 officials could have been dismissed if that was the case, seeking an explanation from the Centre. He accused the Centre of not being serious about improving the country’s education system and said the government was unwilling to bring meaningful reforms in the education sector.

He also referred to the grand welcome accorded by the BJP members to Mr Pradhan when he reached the Parliament House on Monday after having submitted his resignation on Saturday in the face of the students’ agitation, and said the show was “as if he had returned after fighting a war with Pakistan.” Gogoi also argued that the proposed legislation would not be effective in stopping the “paper leak mafia.”