Priyanka Gandhi Targets Centre Over Paper Leaks, Says Youth Need Action, Not Social Media Campaigns

New Delhi, July 2026 : Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Central government during the Lok Sabha debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, saying that winning the confidence of Gen Z would require a change in the government’s “angle of heart” rather than merely changing the “angle of a phone camera” for social media campaigns.

Participating in the debate, the Wayanad MP said that the government could remove protesters from streets but could not ignore the questions and concerns raised by students across the country. She alleged that young people had lost faith in the examination system due to repeated irregularities and demanded that the government take concrete steps to restore credibility.

“You can remove protestors from the road, but you cannot ignore the questions being raised by them,” Priyanka Gandhi said, urging the government to improve its intent and rebuild its credibility among students and parents.

Calling for major reforms in the education sector, she demanded significant changes in the National Education Policy, greater involvement of experts in policymaking, creation of employment opportunities and expansion of medical colleges. She said that merely setting up committees would not resolve the deep-rooted problems affecting the education system and that the government needed to take decisive action.

Earlier during her speech, Priyanka Gandhi’s remarks regarding the newly appointed Education Minister Pralhad Joshi led to heated exchanges between the treasury benches and the Opposition. Joshi and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey objected to her comments, alleging that she had made inaccurate statements and demanded that she authenticate her claims.

Joshi rejected the allegations and sought the removal of the remarks from the parliamentary records. Priyanka Gandhi responded that she was ready to authenticate her statements. However, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla intervened and advised her to restrict her speech to the provisions of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, and avoid unrelated issues.

Questioning the effectiveness of the proposed legislation, the Congress leader pointed out that the government had introduced a similar anti-paper leak law in 2024, but it had not resulted in the conviction of even a single accused so far.

She also criticised the alleged use of surveillance technology against students while questioning why similar technological tools were not being effectively used to identify those involved in organised paper leak networks.

“Face recognition technology is being used against students, but this technology is yet to be used against those involved in paper leaks,” she said.

Priyanka Gandhi also raised questions over the composition and expertise of the committee formed by the government under the leadership of technology entrepreneur Nandan Nilekani, asking whether all members possessed the required understanding of the challenges facing the education system.

The Congress leader said that students and parents across the country were demanding accountability from those responsible for examination irregularities. Referring to protests over the alleged NEET paper leak, she said that students were seeking justice and reforms but were instead met with force.

“The students are disillusioned. Money is overshadowing merit. They want the system that is endangering their future to be improved,” she said.

Alleging widespread failures in the examination system, Priyanka Gandhi claimed that more than 750 crore students had been affected by 152 paper leaks over the last decade, while no major examination mafia had been punished. She accused the government of weakening sectors capable of generating employment opportunities for the youth.

She said restoring confidence among young people would require genuine reforms rather than public relations exercises or attempts to change the government’s image.

Taking a swipe at the reception accorded to former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after his resignation, she questioned the message being sent to protesting students by such gestures.

Priyanka Gandhi also narrated the experience of a mother whose daughter was allegedly injured during police action against students protesting examination irregularities. She said the woman had refused external assistance and decided to continue her fight alone.

Raising concerns over the alleged use of force during protests, she questioned the need for such action against students demanding accountability.

“Are students terrorists? What was the need to use pellet guns and AK-47s against them? The Congress and the entire nation want to know who gave the order to use these weapons against students,” she said.

Priyanka Gandhi concluded by stating that the government must take responsibility for rebuilding trust in the examination system and addressing the concerns of millions of young Indians whose futures depend on fair and transparent recruitment and education processes.