Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday launched a broad attack on the government during the Lok Sabha debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, accusing it of failing students, weakening the education system and using excessive force against protesters.
Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress general secretary said videos with changing camera angles would not help the government regain the trust of young people.
"If you want to win over the Gen Z, then making videos with different camera angles will not help. The prime minister needs to change the angle of his heart, not the angle of cameras," she said.
She added, "If you want to win back confidence of Gen Z, making videos from different camera angles will not work."
Priyanka accused the government of responding with force against student protesters and demanded answers from PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over the police action.
"What was the need to use tear gas on those students, to lathicharge them, and to use water cannons against them? What was the need to humiliate those young women, tear their clothes, and treat them in such a brutal and inhuman manner? What was the need to use pellet guns and AK-47s against the youth of this country? Were they terrorists?," she questioned.
"Yes, the Congress is asking this... Answer us... The Congress is asking; we want answers. Who will answer? Will the Home Minister answer? Who gave the order? Who gave the order to use pellet guns? Through you, Honourable Speaker, I ask: who gave that order? Did the Prime Minister give it? Did the Home Minister give it? Will they answer?," she added.
Priyanka also said, "Every 'lathi' blow on any boy or girl, hit the government's prestige more than the back of students."
Calling on the prime minister to accept responsibility, she said, "Injustice has been done with youths under your government, accept the truth. Prime Minister Narendra Modi must take responsibility."
Priyanka said the students' demands were limited to reforms, accountability and protection of their constitutional rights.
"These troubled students placed their hopes in you (govt). What were their demands? That action should be taken against the repeated injustices they have faced due to paper leaks. That the system which is crushing their future should be reformed. That the mafias surrounding them should be removed. That the minister under whose tenure all this happened should resign. That action should be taken against those who subjected them to brutality and that an apology should be issued," she said.
She alleged that the government had weakened the education system by filling with RSS pracharaks and through centralisation.
"They have hollowed out our education system by filling it with RSS pracharaks. They further complicated matters by forcibly establishing the NTA and centralising the system. Instead of increasing year by year, the share of the education budget in the country’s total budget is actually declining," she said.
Priyanka also accused the government of failing to curb examination malpractice and create employment.
"This government has consistently weakened all employment-generating sectors. The examination system itself has failed. There have been 152 paper leaks in the last decade. Crores of students have been affected, yet not a single culprit, not one member of the paper leak mafia has been punished," she said.
Referring to the scale of the issue, she added, "In the last decade, 152 paper leaks have taken place, affecting 7.5 crore students, but not a single guilty person or a single paper leak mafia has been punished."
The Lok Sabha took up discussion on the anti-paper leak amendment Bill after a week-long deadlock. The legislation, introduced by the government on Monday, proposes stricter punishment of up to 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50 lakh for paper leak offences.
(With inputs from PTI)
