PM Modi announced on Thursday, July 23, 2026, night that a Bill containing provisions for strong action against paper leaks will be introduced in Parliament next week. File
| Photo Credit: ANI
The Congress on Friday (July 24, 2026) said the “desperate and hassled-looking” Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally broke his silence on paper leaks with a video message, and claimed that his lack of commitment to accountability is evident from his failure to even mention the student protests or the brutality unleashed on them.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a X post on Friday (July 24, 2026), said that before coming to Parliament, Mr. Modi must dismiss Dharmendra Pradhan. He said, “Before coming to Parliament today, dismiss Dharmendra Pradhan, apologise to the students and take strict action against those who ordered the use of lathis, batons, and Pellet Guns to suppress the students’ voices.”
Mr. Kharge stated that the Opposition will be ready to discuss on education system, only after the sacking of Mr. Pradhan.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that, the first steps to any resolution are clear- “sack Mantri Pradhan; punish those who beat them; apologise”.
“The desperate and hassled-looking Pradhan Mantri finally broke his two-month-long silence late last night via a video message to speak on paper leaks,” Mr. Ramesh said on X.
Remember that the Modi government has long denied that the NEET-UG 2026 exam was leaked, he added.
“The Mantri Pradhan deliberately refused to use the word leak in his press conference and the Education Ministry officially denied that a paper leak occurred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education,” he said, referring to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
It is only the outpouring of public anger over the last two months that has made the PM accept the truth, Mr. Ramesh said.
Questioning the CBI investigation on paper leak cases, Mr. Ramesh said, “This crisis does not originate in our slow-moving judiciary alone but in the weak investigations conducted by the CBI and the dishonest political leadership of the Modi Government. The Pradhan Mantri’s lack of commitment to accountability is evident from his failure to even mention the student protests or the brutality unleashed on them by his police forces on 20th July. “
PM’s message
PM Modi announced on Thursday (July 23, 2026) night that a Bill containing provisions for strong action against paper leaks will be introduced in Parliament next week.
In a video message, Mr. Modi also said the contours of the Bill will be discussed at a meeting of the Union Cabinet on Friday (July 24, 2026), where the proposed legislation will be finalised.
“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,” he said.
“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,” Mr. Modi said.
Maintaining pressure on the government both inside and outside Parliament, the Opposition refused the government’s offer of a debate on paper leaks, arguing that any discussion must be preceded by the resignation of Mr. Pradhan
(With inputs from PTI)
Published – July 24, 2026 11:04 am IST
