India
oi-Swastika Sruti
On the Monsoon Session of the Parliament, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the Centre during the debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026.
Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge criticized the government’s handling of the NEET paper leak, questioning police actions against protestors and PM Modi’s response, arguing the Public Examinations Bill needs institutional reforms like changing the NTA and highlighting the issue of nearly 1 million vacant teaching posts.
Kharge alleged that the government had introduced the legislation to calm public anger over the alleged NEET paper leak instead of addressing the root causes of repeated examination irregularities.
Kharge also questioned the Centre over the police action against students protesting the alleged paper leak and demanded accountability from the Union Home Ministry.
पेपर चुराने वाले बचते रहे,
मेहनत करने वाले पिटते रहे,
ये कैसा न्याय,
ये कैसी रीत गुनहगार हंसते रहे,
मासूम सिसकते रहे !! pic.twitter.com/jlhMls7eSn— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) July 30, 2026
Kharge Attack PM Modi’s Late Night Selfie Video
Taking aim at the government’s response after the NEET controversy, Kharge questioned why students were not addressed when they were looking for answers.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s late-night social media message, Kharge said, “Even after such a serious incident, the government did not speak to the students or express regret. Instead, at 10 pm and even at midnight, videos were being posted on Instagram. You have the habit of speaking on every issue and criticising previous governments, but you did not have time to address the students. You found time only at midnight to say ‘thank you friends’.“
He said lakhs of students deserved reassurance from the country’s leadership instead of silence during one of the biggest examination controversies in recent years.
पेपर चुराने वाले बचते रहे
मेहनत करने वाले पिटते रहे
ये कैसा न्याय, ये कैसी रीत
गुनहगार हंसते रहे, मासूम सिसकते रहे: कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष और राज्यसभा में नेता प्रतिपक्ष श्री @kharge pic.twitter.com/MVc08ykJz0
— Congress, Minority Department (@INCMinority) July 30, 2026
Questions Police Action Against NEET Protesters
Kharge also attacked the Centre over the police action against students protesting the alleged NEET paper leak on July 20.
He asked, “Who ordered the lathi charge, the use of tear gas and pellet guns against students?”
Questioning the government’s handling of the protests, he continued, “Who were the people in plain clothes who assaulted the students? Delhi Police functions under whom? Under whose orders do the CRPF and Rapid Action Force work? Who was the mastermind behind this entire incident?”
Kharge further said, “The country wants answers to these questions. If the Home Minister cannot answer them, he should resign. If he does not resign, the Prime Minister should remove him from office.”
‘This Is Not Just Delhi’s Issue’
Kharge added that the issue is not just limited to Delhi but has extended to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and West Bengal. He also referred to Bihar, Kharge said, “AK-47 rifles were used in Bihar. Those were not terrorists; they were students.”
He argued that peaceful protesters should not be treated like criminals.
‘Bill Alone Will Not Stop Paper Leaks’
Questioning the effectiveness of the proposed law, Kharge said passing a Bill alone would not solve the problem unless institutions responsible for conducting examinations were reformed.
“If the same institutions remain, if the NTA remains unchanged, if the examination system is not reformed and there is no accountability, another paper leak will happen within a few months and we will once again be debating the same issue in this House,” he said.
Kharge also claimed that preparations for the alleged 2026 NEET paper leak had begun nearly two weeks before the examination.
“Preparations for the paper leak had started 15 days before the exam in Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Rajasthan and several other places. Was the government sleeping? Did the intelligence agencies have no information? You claim to have double-engine governments in so many states, yet this still happened,” he said.
He also pointed out that allegations of paper leaks had surfaced repeatedly in 2015, 2016, 2021, 2024 and 2026, questioning why repeated promises of strict action had failed to prevent such incidents.
Raises Concerns Over India’s Education System
Concluding his speech, Kharge said the paper leak controversy reflected deeper structural problems in India’s education system.
Calling it “only one symptom of a much larger disease,” he cited a Parliamentary Standing Committee report claiming that nearly 10 lakh teaching posts remain vacant across the country.
“You talk about building a developed India, but you have not taken steps to fill nearly one million vacant teaching posts. If there are no teachers, how will the education system improve?” he said.
