Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of attempting to silence Gen Z, saying the two leaders represent “India’s past” and should be careful of how they treat the country’s future.
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha alleged that the government was behind the filing of FIRs against student protesters and the removal of their social media accounts.
“PM Modi and Amit Shah – you cannot threaten Gen Z into silence. First you broke their bones. Now you are filing FIRs and taking down their accounts,” Gandhi said in a post on X.
“You are India’s past. Be careful about how you treat India’s future,” the former Congress president added.
Gandhi’s remarks came a day after Prime Minister Modi said comprehensive reforms were needed in the education system to address the issue of examination paper leaks.
He asserted that there would be no leniency towards groups involved in leaking papers or undermining the future of students.
In a video message shared on Instagram on Thursday evening, shortly after Parliament passed legislation amending the anti-paper leak law, Modi said examination leaks had become a serious challenge for students as well as the Centre and several state governments.
“The Centre and many states have been facing the paper leak problem for several years. The menace has threatened the future of children appearing in various examinations,” Modi said, adding that reforms were necessary to strengthen the education system.
Referring to the amended anti-paper leak legislation, Modi said a stronger legal framework was now in place to tackle the issue.
“We will not spare the paper leak gangs, paper leak mafia and those playing with the future of children,” he said.
The Prime Minister also said that a task force had been established, fast-track courts were being set up, and consultations with states were under way to improve examination procedures and prevent irregularities.
Parliament on Thursday passed the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, which introduces stricter penalties for those involved in examination paper leaks. The Bill was approved by the Rajya Sabha through a voice vote after several opposition parties from the INDIA bloc staged a walkout.
(With inputs from PTI)