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Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday said the government would move ahead with the passage of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, even without a discussion if the Opposition refuses to participate, as the government prepares for an eight-hour debate on the legislation in the Lok Sabha.
"If the Opposition parties do not want to discuss the Examination Reforms Bill, the government will get the Bill passed without discussion," Rijiju said in Lok Sabha. After Rijiju's remarks, the Speaker said that all parties should hold consultations so that discussion is taken up at 5 pm. The BJP and NDA have submitted to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla a list of leaders who will participate in the discussion on the Bill. The government is likely to propose an eight-hour discussion on the legislation. The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh. Around 12 NDA leaders have been finalised to speak on the legislation, including Bansuri Swaraj, Tejasvi Surya, Shashank Mani Tripathi, Anurag Thakur, Shrikant Shinde, Arun Bharti, Alok Suman, Anupriya Patel and Sayali Ghosh. Meanwhile, the Congress and other Opposition parties have demanded that the Bill not be taken up for direct discussion and instead be referred to a Parliamentary Standing Committee or a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for further deliberation. The Congress has also demanded that Union Home Minister Amit Shah first make a statement in the Lok Sabha on the alleged assault of students, following which the discussion on the Bill should be taken up. Congress MP Tariq Anwar said, "It is the stand of the Congress party, and Rahul Gandhi has reiterated this several times, that the PM and the government should apologise for the way students were treated. There is a lot of anger among the people. Tragically, the double-engine government is bent on suppressing students. How did they (Police) even have the courage to fire at the students? The government, however, is in favour of holding a direct discussion on the Bill in the Lok Sabha. Earlier in the day, addressing a press conference here today, Rijiju said the Bill was being brought in response to concerns raised by students across the country and urged the Opposition to hold a "thorough and open debate" on the legislation. "Today, in light of the concerns raised by students across the country, a crucial bill is being introduced in the Lok Sabha to address issues such as paper leaks. However, the Congress party and some Opposition members are refusing to discuss it; instead, they are creating a disturbance," Rijiju said. He appealed to the Opposition to consider the measures announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for examination reforms, including the constitution of a high-powered task force and the proposed legislation. "I wish to appeal to them to consider the significant decision taken by the Prime Minister today. Measures have been announced to reform the examination system, a task force has been constituted, and a revolutionary bill has been introduced to reform the examination system and ensure that no leaks occur in the future," Rijiju said. He said the Bill contains provisions for severe and time-bound punishment for those found involved in paper leaks. "Provisions have been made to impose severe and time-bound punishment on anyone found involved in a paper leak. If a discussion is not allowed even after all these measures, it will send the wrong message," he said. (ANI)
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