The Rajya Sabha witnessed another stormy debate on Thursday as Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge launched a sharp attack on the Centre over the handling of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination. During the discussion on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, the Congress president demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the July 20 incident.
Kharge Seeks Amit Shah’s Resignation
Targeting the Union Home Minister, Kharge alleged that the government must come clean on the police action during the student protest and insisted that accountability could not be avoided.
“Amit Shah cannot hide behind closed doors. The government must tell the country the truth about what happened during the violence against students at Jantar Mantar,” Kharge said while demanding the Home Minister’s resignation over the July 20 incident.
Questions Anti-Paper Leak Bill
Questioning the effectiveness of the proposed anti-paper leak legislation, Kharge argued that increasing punishments alone would not solve the recurring problem of examination fraud.
“In this bill, only the figures kept changing. Nothing is going to happen with that. You have included provisions like higher fines, harsher punishment, special task force, fast-track courts etc. This is not going to make any difference,” he said.
He maintained that the focus should instead be on strengthening the examination system to prevent paper leaks before they occur.
“It will make a difference as to how you will conduct this examination and how you will prepare without paper leak; it depends on that. To bring this strong law, we had put forth the demand for it in 2024 itself. But then you did not accept our point,” Kharge added.
PM Modi Also Comes Under Fire
The Congress chief also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the NEET paper leak controversy, urging students and young people to continue raising their voices if their concerns remained unaddressed.
He said the government would have to face public accountability if it failed to restore confidence in the country’s examination system.
RSS Remark Triggers Uproar
The debate took a dramatic turn after Kharge alleged that individuals associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) were heading educational institutions across the country and called for their removal.
The remark sparked strong protests from BJP members in the Rajya Sabha, leading to loud exchanges between treasury and Opposition benches as the discussion became increasingly heated.
The confrontation added to a series of political clashes that have dominated the ongoing Monsoon Session, with the anti-paper leak law and the police action during the CJP protests emerging as major flashpoints between the government and the Opposition.
