Rahul Gandhi criticises government over paper leak scandal
Rahul Gandhi directly attacked the central government on the issue of paper leaks during a student interaction.
At the Congress's 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme held in Dehradun, students engaged in a direct dialogue with Rahul Gandhi. According to a report, more than 2.5 lakh students registered to participate in this event. While interacting with the students, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi launched a direct attack on the central government over the issue of paper leaks. He alleged that paper leaks are no longer limited to isolated incidents but have become an organised network, endangering the future of lakhs of students.
Addressing students, competitive exam candidates, and their families, Rahul Gandhi said,
"Today, there is an industry of paper leaks in the country, as if every exam has a fixed price like a restaurant menu card." He claimed that question papers for any exam can be obtained by paying money, while students who work honestly continue to suffer losses.
The most emotional moment of the programme came when the father of Riya Thapa, a student from Dehradun who allegedly committed suicide after the NEET paper leak incident, became emotional on stage while remembering his daughter. He shared that after taking the exam, Riya was very excited and was confident that she would be selected. But as soon as the news of the paper leak came out, she was completely shattered. He felt that years of hard work and dreams were shattered in an instant. He said that his daughter is no longer in this world, but he wishes that no other family has to endure such pain.
Consoling Riya's father, Rahul Gandhi said that paper leaks are not just a disruption in the examination process but a direct attack on the dreams of crores of youth in the country. It is time to develop a student-centric and completely secure examination system in India, with effective use of technology, ensuring the security of question papers, and making the entire examination process transparent and trustworthy.
He suggested that question papers should be randomised and, if necessary, exams should be conducted securely on different days. Universities and examination agencies should be kept completely free from political interference. The appointment of vice-chancellors and heads of examination institutions should be through an impartial process, and no political party should have influence over educational institutions.
Rahul Gandhi also questioned the role of private companies in conducting competitive exams. He said that conducting national-level exams is the government's responsibility and should not be left to private entities. He demanded swift and stringent action against those guilty in paper leak cases and that affected students be given justice and appropriate compensation.
Online mathematics teacher Abhinav Sharma also spoke about the shortcomings of the education system at the programme. He said that he did not come to support any political ideology but to raise the voice of students. He questioned that if the education minister is not accountable for the recurring paper leaks, then who will be held responsible. Abhinav Sharma criticised the incomplete implementation of the new education policy, the recurring errors in question papers, and the system of charging students for registering objections. He stated that until transparency, accountability, and a responsible institutional framework are developed in the education system, students' trust cannot be restored.