NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday hailed the passage of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha, describing it as a measure that safeguards the dreams and aspirations of young people by introducing iron-clad provisions and imposing the harshest punishment on those involved in examination paper leaks.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Bill protects the dreams and aspirations of the youth. "The Bill shields the dreams and aspirations of our youth by laying down iron-clad provisions imposing the harshest punishment on those who are to breach the sanctity of public examinations."
He further said, "The Modi government will spare no one who attempt to imperil the future of our students and will leave no stone unturned to ensure that they face the full wrath of the law".
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also welcomed the passage of the Bill, saying, "Delighted that the LS passed the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill after an extensive debate. This is a significant step forward towards further strengthening the integrity of India’s examination system. Thanks to the MPs and parties that supported the Bill".
Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal said, "We have built in the toughest safeguards to punish those who try to cheat the system at your expense. Anyone who attempts to compromise the integrity of public examination will face the strictest consequences the law allows".
New interim Education Minister Pralhad Joshi said that the Lok Sabha had passed the Bill, ushering in a stronger legal framework to combat examination malpractices.
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari also described the passage of the Bill in the Lok Sabha as a historic step towards ensuring the sanctity of public examinations.
The BJP also welcomed the passage of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
In a post on X, BJP National Head of IT, Amit Malviya hailed the passage of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 as a move that corrected a historic wrong.
Malviya said, "With the Rajya Sabha passing the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, in the Rajya Sabha, India has corrected a historic wrong. For decades, Vande Mataram inspired countless freedom fighters to lay down their lives for Bharat. Yet, in the run-up to Partition, the Congress chose the path of appeasement".
He also alleged that the Congress, at its 1937 convention, had agreed to restrict the public rendering of Vande Mataram. "At its 1937 convention, it agreed to restrict the public rendering of Vande Mataram by dropping portions of the song after objections were raised, a decision that eminent historian Jadunath Sarkar lamented as a needless retreat from India’s civilisational self-confidence. He regarded the song as a powerful expression of India’s national awakening and criticised attempts to diminish its place in public life," Malviya said.
He further said, "Today, that chapter has been decisively reversed. By extending to Vande Mataram the same statutory protection that the National Anthem already enjoys under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, Parliament has reaffirmed that India’s national symbols are not negotiable and cannot be subjected to political expediency".
He added that henceforth, any deliberate insult to the National Song would now attract the same legal consequences as an insult to the National Anthem.
"From appeasement to affirmation, from compromise to conviction, Bharatvarsh has indeed come a long way," he asserted.
Describing Vande Mataram as the soul of India’s freedom struggle, he said, "Vande Mataram is not merely a song, it is the soul of India’s freedom struggle, and today the nation has ensured that it receives the honour it has always deserved".