Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Thursday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his announcement that fast-track courts would be established to punish those involved in examination paper leaks. Ramesh accused the Prime Minister of avoiding accountability and lacking the courage to address the issue directly inside Parliament.
Reacting to Modi’s first public response to the growing controversy, Ramesh described the announcement as “too little, too late and too deceptive.” He alleged that the Union government had repeatedly failed to acknowledge examination paper leaks that occurred during its tenure and was now responding only because of mounting pressure from students and opposition parties.
“The Prime Minister does not have the courage to stand up in Parliament and speak,” Ramesh said while questioning why the government had not allowed a detailed parliamentary discussion on the crisis. He claimed that the announcement of fast-track courts could not hide what he described as years of administrative failure, cover-ups and inaction over repeated leaks in recruitment and entrance examinations.
Prime Minister Modi earlier announced that special fast-track courts would be created to ensure swift and strict punishment for people responsible for leaking examination papers. He said individuals who endangered the future of students would not be spared and promised stronger measures to protect the integrity of the country’s examination system.
However, the Congress and leaders of the ongoing student movement rejected the announcement as insufficient. They maintained that punishment for individual offenders would not resolve the wider issue of political and institutional accountability. Protesters have continued to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, along with reforms in the examination process and justice for affected students.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also criticised the Prime Minister, accusing the government of damaging the future of young Indians and failing to act against those responsible. The opposition has continued to raise the matter in Parliament, contributing to repeated disruptions during the monsoon session.
The paper leak controversy has triggered large youth-led demonstrations in Delhi and several other cities. Although the government has promised legal and administrative action, protesters say they will continue their agitation until responsibility is fixed at the highest level and their central demands are accepted.
