Heated debate between government and opposition in Rajya Sabha over Paper Leak, opposition says bill is not a solution to the problem

The paper leak bill saw a heated debate between the government and the opposition in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. The opposition called it an ineffective effort, saying it would not solve the problem, while the government said the bill contained tough and effective provisions that would help curb paper leaks.
Condemning the police action on students protesting against the paper leak, the opposition members also demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has demanded scrapping of the NET (NEET) exam for admission to medical colleges.
Trinamool Congress member Sagarika Ghosh opposed the Lok Exam (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill saying that the bill does not provide a solution to the problem but only adds penal clauses. He said that whenever an exam paper is leaked and the exam is cancelled, it is a failure of the government, which is a big fraud to the students. He quipped that the government doesn't listen to the students, it only listens to "mann ki baat".
He said that the dreams of lakhs of students and their parents were shattered and 21 students lost their lives due to the leak of NET exam paper. He alleged that the ruling party members do not understand the pain of students as their own children are studying abroad. Targeting the Prime Minister, he said that children's lives were lost due to the government's failure, but the Prime Minister did not say a word about it.
The Trinamool Congress member said that when the government does not listen to the students, they have no option but to protest, but even there they face police action. He said that the Home Minister should come to the House and answer about the police action on the students, and if he does not do so, he should resign. He said that students should not be called traitors and protest should not be treated as a crime.
DMK's Tiruchi Shiva questioned why the bill was tabled by the Union Minister for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, when it could have been tabled by the Minister of State for Education. Terming the bill ineffective, he said that it is an attempt to divert attention from the real issue and it will not yield any positive results. He said that the government is not fulfilling the promises made to the students.
Shiva questioned the NET exam, insisting that it should be scrapped completely. He also strongly opposed the government's claim that pellet guns were not used on protesting students. He said that if the pellet gun was not used, then the students being treated in the hospitals were injured by what? He asked whether the Home Minister went to Jantar Mantar and met the students or came to the House and explained the matter.
Bharatiya Janata Party's Brij Lal said that the government's intentions are clear and it is fully serious about solving the paper leak issue. For this purpose, several important provisions have been included in the bill. He said that arrangements have been made to set up fast-track courts for speedy hearing of paper leak cases, besides strict punishments and heavy fines. He said that the appeal against the decisions in such cases can be made only in the High Court.
The BJP member asserted that pellet guns were not used on the protesting students. Referring to several occasions, he said that during the Congress governments, shots were fired at the protesters many times. In this context, he specifically mentioned the protest of Sadhu Saints in front of the Parliament in 1966 and said that at that time Sadhu Saints and supporters of Cow Mata were fired upon. On the Samajwadi Party's allegation that the government's intentions were not clear, Brijlal cited several examples, saying that during the Samajwadi Party governments in Uttar Pradesh, copying was formalized.
Biju Janata Dal's Santrapat Mishra from Odisha said the bill only talks about punishing those accused of the paper leak, but does not say anything about the students affected by it.
He questioned that when no one was convicted in the 2024 Netpaper leak case even after two years, how would the investigating agencies complete the investigation within 60 days?
He alleged that the bill was introduced in haste and needed serious consideration. He said that it has to be seen whether this law will really bring any change in the education system or not. He said that there is no effective provision in this bill to prevent crime, but only punishment after the crime has been committed.
Yaram Venkat Subba Reddy of the YSR Congress Party from Andhra Pradesh supported the bill and welcomed the provisions to increase the punishments. He said that this bill is limited in nature and paper leaks in state level examinations are not included in its scope.
From Tamil Nadu, AIADMK KM Thimbidurai, speaking in Tamil, said that his party is also against the NET exam in the state. He said that the increasing number of coaching centers across the country has become a major problem, which also puts financial burden on the students' families. He alleged that these coaching centers were behind the Pepper Leak incidents, so a separate law should be introduced instead of this bill to close them down.
Sanjay Kumar Jha of Janata Dal (United) from Bihar supported the bill, saying that whenever a question paper is leaked, public confidence in the entire system is undermined.
He said that this is not a new problem, but the students have to pay the biggest price. Exam mafia is playing with the future of youth and this bill will play an effective role in controlling it.
Samajwadi Party's Ram Gopal Yadav said that increasing the punishment alone does not reduce crime. If this were the case, the crimes in which the death penalty is prescribed would also have been abolished. He suggested that states should be allowed to conduct their own medical entrance examinations as before. He said that the National Testing Agency (NTA) has a large number of contract employees, so it is difficult to prevent paper leaks.
Praful Patel of the Nationalist Congress Party from Maharashtra said that the future of the youth is the future of the country. He said that it is wrong to think that the government has not realized the recent events. The government has formed a committee to address these concerns. He said that the work done in the education sector in the last 10 to 12 years cannot be ignored. According to him, instead of getting into useless debates, attention should be paid to how to improve the system. He said that in a democratic country there should be a right to protest, but the protest should be within the limits and regulations. Bhashyam Ramakrishna of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) from Andhra Pradesh supported the bill and said that a student has a book in his hand, but his future is in the hands of the entire education system. When he enters the exam hall, he has a pen in hand, but in reality the test is also about his dreams and the hopes of his family.
Aam Aadmi Party's Sanjay Singh said that when the NET exam was held for the first time, 22.80 lakh students had appeared, but only 20 lakh students appeared in the re-conducted exam after the paper leak. He questioned that who is responsible for the loss of the remaining 2.80 lakh students? He said that the government spends only two percent on education. He also alleged that protesting students were brutally treated, while students in Bihar were fired upon with AK-47s. He asked whether they were terrorists.
Rashtriya Janata Dal's Manoj Kumar Jha from Bihar said that the exhibition reforms will not help, but will end the root of the problem, and according to him, the root of the problem is the National Testing Agency (NTA). He said that whenever a law is brought, there should be accountability along with it. "There was no golden age before, but today the situation is worse than ever," he said.