Accusing the Modi government of failing students, Gaurav Gogoi alleged that the Centre was more interested in optics than reform, mocked the BJP for felicitating former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and questioned the progress of the NEET-UG probe.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi, July 28: Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on the Centre during the Lok Sabha debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, describing the proposed legislation as an “eyewash” and a “showpiece” that would do little to curb examination paper leaks or restore students’ faith in the system.
Participating in the debate, Gogoi accused the Narendra Modi government of failing to address the recurring problem of examination irregularities despite enacting the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.
“If the 2024 law was as foolproof as the government claimed, how did such a massive paper leak happen in 2026?” Gogoi asked, questioning the effectiveness of the existing legislation.
VIDEO | Delhi: Parliament Monsoon Session: “Government is not serious, Bill is just an eyewash,” says Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi during debate on the anti-paper leak Bill in Lok Sabha.
(Source: Sansad TV)
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/tY8nNAAMBt
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 28, 2026
The Congress leader alleged that the government was more interested in optics than meaningful reform. “After reading the amendments, I am left with the impression that the government is not serious about ending paper leaks. It does not want real change,” he said.
Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gogoi claimed that instead of focusing on the examination crisis confronting millions of students, the Prime Minister was asking young people to “focus on Instagram.”
He also targeted former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, alleging that he had denied the existence of the 2024 paper leak despite mounting evidence and even after “21 students had died.” Gogoi further mocked the BJP for felicitating Pradhan in Parliament on Monday, saying party leaders “garlanded him as though he had returned after fighting a war in Pakistan.”
READ: SC Orders Release of CJP Protesters Without Criminal Record
Questioning the pace of the investigation into the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, Gogoi cited a media report claiming that 44 of the 45 persons chargesheeted in the case are currently out on bail, arguing that the government’s enforcement efforts had failed to inspire confidence.
The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday by Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh, seeks to strengthen the provisions of the 2024 law aimed at preventing unfair practices in public examinations.
Defending the legislation, Singh said the amendments reaffirm the government’s commitment to protecting students and ensuring the integrity of public examinations. He argued that paper leaks had been widespread during the UPA years and maintained that the Modi government was the first to introduce a dedicated legal framework to combat the menace.
The minister also claimed that several recommendations relating to the National Testing Agency (NTA), proposed during the previous Congress-led government, had remained unimplemented until the present government acted upon them.
As the debate got underway, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government was willing to extend the discussion if the Opposition wanted more time.
“Initially, all parties agreed to a six-hour debate. It was later increased to eight hours. If the Opposition wants more time, the government is prepared to continue the discussion for up to 10 hours,” Rijiju said.
Before the proceedings began, Congress MP K.C. Venugopal objected to the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, saying that a Bill of such significance warranted their presence in the House.
The debate on the Bill continued in the Lok Sabha with members from both the Treasury and Opposition benches participating in the discussion.
