Congress’ Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday took a swipe at the Modi government for examination paper leaks, claiming 152 such incidents have taken place across India in the last decade without conviction.
Gandhi, who wore a black armband against the police action during recent Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) demonstrations, accused the government of failing millions of students and their families. He said the country's education system had become “rigged” and warned that repeated examination irregularities had caused a deep crisis for young people.
"Our education system, which was known to be one of the best in the world, is today a rigged system," said Gandhi.
He was speaking when people are still protesting against alleged irregularities in competitive exams and seeking the government to be held accountable for them. Opposition parties are also calling for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
What have students done wrong? Rahul Gandhi Questions Police Action
Gandhi also questioned the police crackdown on protesting students and young demonstrators.
“What have our students done wrong? Why are security forces pointing weapons at them, beating them, thrashing them and humiliating them?” he asked.
The protesters were demanding a fair and reliable education system rather than making unreasonable demands, Gandhi observed.
“They are simply asking for what this country owes them. They deserve an education system that works. They deserve an education system that is fair, and they don't have it,” he said.
The Congress leader claimed that repeated paper leaks had placed millions of students under severe emotional and financial pressure. He said students often spend years preparing for competitive exams and learn at the last moment that a paper has been compromised.
“Children have committed suicide. Students go through enormous stress and then at the last moment they are told that the paper has leaked. This is no longer an isolated problem. It has become a deep crisis in this country,” Gandhi said.
‘152 Paper Leaks, Zero Convictions’
Gandhi claimed that 152 examination paper leaks had occurred in the last 10 years, and the figure was roughly one incident every month. He also claimed that there had been no convictions in connection with the cases.
He also claimed that nearly 7.5 crore students and their families had been affected by recurring examination controversies.
“Families spend their hard-earned money on their children's education, only to see their hopes shattered,” Gandhi said, accusing the government of failing to protect the country's examination system.
He called the system failures “systemic failure” and said the people responsible for destroying the future of students should be held accountable.
Gandhi also highlighted the financial burden faced by families preparing for competitive examinations, saying many middle-class and poorer households spend their savings on coaching, applications, travel and preparation.
The Congress leader has repeatedly called for Pradhan’s resignation, saying the government had failed to protect the integrity of public examinations. The political struggle is now well beyond Parliament and protests and police action and competing claims from the government and Opposition have intensified the debate on examination reforms and student safety.
The government has denied Opposition claims and has said it is open to discuss problems with exams in Parliament. But students and their supporters want more accountability from the government.
