"Students' movement not for comeback of any flop political party": Raghav Chadha alleges Congress of politicising NEET paper leak

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha during the debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, Chadha said political parties should not use students' protests for their political interests and called for institutional solutions to address paper leaks.

"Like cancer cannot be treated with Crocin, paper leaks cannot be treated by media soundbites but by institutional solutions, which our government is going to do today by introducing India's first-ever anti-paper leak framework," Chadha said.

The BJP leader said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had listened to students' concerns "not just as a Prime Minister but also as a guardian" and hailed the government's decision to bring paper leak cases under the ambit of heinous crimes eligible for fast-track courts.

"Students' voice matters, and when you expressed your concern and demanded that the Prime Minister hear you not just as a Prime Minister but also as a guardian, he listened to it like the head of the family... Fast-track courts are made for heinous crimes, such as crimes against women, rape and crimes like POCSO. Today, we have brought paper leak in the category of those heinous crimes," Chadha said in Parliament.

Taking a swipe at the Opposition, Chadha said that while "political memory can be selective", public records cannot be selective. He said the concerns of NEET students were genuine and should be viewed in the same manner as the grievances of students affected by examination paper leaks in opposition-ruled states.

"Political memory can be selective. Public records cannot be selective. If the paper leak of a national exam is a national crisis, then how can the paper leak of an opposition-ruled state be a local incident?... If the pain of NEET students is genuine, then the pain of pharmacy exam students in Punjab and SSLC exam students in Karnataka is also genuine..." he said.

Chadha also criticised the Congress over the July 20 student protest at Jantar Mantar, alleging that political leaders remained behind the scenes while students faced the risks associated with protests.

"When political leaders send students in front of the barricades during protests, and themselves remain on the safe side of the camera, then what kind of a partnership is this, where the risk is mine and the reel is yours... Students' movement is not for the comeback of any flop political party... I want to tell the opposition parties, don't use students' emotions for your political promotion. This fight is not BJP versus Congress," Chadha said.

He further said that the issue was about protecting merit and ensuring that hard work is not undermined by malpractice.

"This fight is of merit versus mafia. Hard work versus setting... Today, my role is to fix the system. That is why I made a promise to myself that I will speak on this issue in the Parliament when we solve the problem. And today is that historic day when the system is getting fixed..." Chadha said.

Meanwhile, on July 29, the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 passed by the Lok Sabha. The BIll was cleared by the Rajya Sabha on July 31, with Opposition members staging a walkout during the voting.

The legislation triggered a sharp political divide, with Opposition parties accusing the Centre of rushing the amendments and failing to address the root causes of recurring examination paper leaks. They alleged that the Bill was brought to defuse widespread student protests rather than introduce systemic reforms to prevent future irregularities.

However, the Centre defended the amendments, saying they reflected the government's willingness to "learn from experience" following the implementation of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, and were aimed at further strengthening the legal framework to curb examination malpractices. (ANI)