24 July,2026 10:29 AM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. Pic/PTI
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make a statement in Parliament on the issue of examination paper leaks instead of addressing the nation through what he described as a "one-sided Mann Ki Baat."
His remarks came a day after the Prime Minister announced that the Centre would introduce a Bill in Parliament next week containing stringent provisions to tackle examination paper leaks. Modi also said the proposed legislation would be discussed and finalised by the Union Cabinet before being introduced during the ongoing Monsoon Session.
In a post on X, Kharge said the Prime Minister should make a formal statement in Parliament while the House is in session instead of communicating the government's position through a video message.
"When Parliament is in session, the prime minister is required to make a statement on the floor of the House. He should not be delivering a one-sided 'Mann Ki Baat' outside Parliament," Kharge said.
The Congress president also renewed the party's demand for the dismissal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged examination paper leak issue.
Kharge said the government should first remove the Education Minister, apologise to students and initiate action against those responsible for the alleged use of force on protesters before holding a discussion on education reforms.
"Before coming to Parliament today, please dismiss Dharmendra Pradhan. First, apologise to the students and take strict action against those who ordered the use of batons and pellet guns to suppress the students' voices. Then we are ready for a detailed discussion on the education system," he said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not responded to these remarks in the statement provided by PTI.
On Thursday night, Prime Minister Modi announced that the Union Cabinet would discuss the proposed anti-paper leak legislation on Friday before finalising its provisions.
He said the Bill would be introduced in Parliament on Monday, when the second week of the Monsoon Session begins.
"On Monday, when the second week of the Monsoon session of Parliament will begin, a bill will be brought with provisions for strong action against paper leaks and we will try to pass it as early as possible," the Prime Minister said.
He added that the government intended to incorporate suggestions from Cabinet colleagues before introducing the legislation.
In his video message, Modi said examination paper leaks had caused distress to millions of students and their families and acknowledged the seriousness of the issue.
"The guilty have been caught. They are now in jail. Our most significant responsibility was to ensure that the students did not lose a year. It was necessary to hold the examination immediately. By using all resources, the government ensured that 22 lakh students could attend the retest," he said.
The Prime Minister also stated that the Centre had taken several measures since allegations surrounding the NEET examination paper leak surfaced nearly two-and-a-half months ago.
Soon after the Prime Minister's video message, Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi criticised the government's response, alleging that the Prime Minister had avoided addressing the Opposition's demand for the resignation of the Union Education Minister.
In a post on X, Gandhi said the Prime Minister should not "insult the intelligence of students with this pathetic midnight video."
