Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra used her speech during the Lok Sabha debate on the Anti-Paper Leak Bill to question the government's response to the nationwide student protests, call for accountability over the alleged use of force against demonstrators, criticise the education system and raise concerns over the appointment of the new Union Education Minister, Pralhad Joshi.
The debate took place as Parliament considered amendments to strengthen penalties for examination paper leaks.
"Who Ordered Pellet Guns?"
Priyanka Gandhi began by recalling her visit to Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, where she met the family of a student injured during the police action against protesters.
She described the student's mother saying she no longer wanted politicians visiting the hospital or making videos, adding that even those she believed were responsible for her daughter's condition had come to the hospital.
Referring to the government's handling of the protests, Priyanka Gandhi questioned the alleged use of tear gas, lathi charges, water cannons, pellet guns and AK-47s against students.
"Were they terrorists? Who gave the order to use pellet guns? Did the Prime Minister give the order? Did the Home Minister give the order?"
She said these were questions being asked not only by the Congress but also by students, parents, teachers and citizens across the country.
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"This House Belongs To The People"
The Congress MP said Parliament was accountable to the people and that governments must answer citizens rather than suppress dissent.
She said thousands of students had protested peacefully, exercising their democratic right to raise concerns over repeated paper leaks and the examination system. According to her, students had demanded action against those responsible, reforms to the system, accountability from those in charge and an apology for the alleged police action.
"The Examination System Has Failed"
Priyanka Gandhi argued that India's education system was already under immense pressure because of coaching costs, unemployment and repeated examination failures.
She claimed that:
152 paper leaks had taken place over the past decade.
Around 7.5 crore students had been affected.
No major paper leak mafia had been punished.
Families continued to bear rising financial burdens despite uncertainty over employment.
She said increasing punishments alone would not restore trust unless structural problems in the education system were addressed.
Criticism Of The NTA And Education Policy
Priyanka Gandhi criticised the National Testing Agency (NTA), alleging that excessive centralisation had further complicated the examination system.
She also alleged that the education system had increasingly been filled with RSS pracharaks rather than education experts, and argued that education spending had failed to keep pace with the challenges faced by students and their families.
Questions Over Dharmendra Pradhan's Exit
Referring to former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who resigned after weeks of protests, Priyanka Gandhi criticised BJP MPs for welcoming him in Parliament.
She said it was "shameful" that he had been received "like a superstar" despite resigning amid the paper leak controversy, contrasting the celebration with the grief of families affected by the examination crisis.
Raises Concerns Over Pralhad Joshi's Appointment
Priyanka Gandhi also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to appoint Pralhad Joshi as the new Union Education Minister.
Referring to what she described as Joshi's past remarks on the release of the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case, she said:
"The Prime Minister appointed as Education Minister a person who had expressed support for the release of the rapists of a pregnant woman. What message has the Prime Minister sent to the crores of girls in this country?"
The remarks prompted objections from BJP MPs.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the comments amounted to "character assassination" and sought their removal from the parliamentary record. Pralhad Joshi said the claim should either be authenticated or removed from the record and demanded an apology. The Speaker directed Priyanka Gandhi to authenticate the statement before it could remain on record.
"Change Your Advisers"
Priyanka Gandhi said the Prime Minister should reconsider the advice he was receiving and argued that forming new committees alone would not solve the crisis.
She also questioned the composition of the newly announced committee on examination reforms, saying meaningful education reforms required consultation with education experts, teachers, students and other stakeholders.
"Change Your Heart, Not Your Camera Angle"
Referring to Prime Minister Modi's recent social media videos addressing students, Priyanka Gandhi said public relations alone would not restore confidence among young people.
"If he wants to win back Gen Z's trust, making videos from different camera angles will not help. The Prime Minister needs to change the angle of his heart, not the angle of his camera."
She urged the government to acknowledge the concerns of students, create more employment opportunities, expand medical education and undertake wider reforms of the education system.
"Students Want Justice, Not Charity"
Concluding her speech, Priyanka Gandhi said students were seeking justice rather than favours.
She argued that while students could be removed from the streets, the questions they had raised could not be ignored.
Calling it the "biggest theft", she said the loss of young people's futures and dreams was more damaging than any financial crime, warning that if India's youth lost hope, it would be a loss for the country itself.
