Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the Centre in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday during the debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, alleging that the proposed legislation was an attempt to cover up years of administrative failures rather than address the root causes of recurring examination paper leaks.
Calling the Bill inadequate, Banerjee said it could not erase the government's record over the past decade.
"This Bill cannot wash away 12 years of incompetence and failures. It cannot erase the broken dreams of students," he said.
He argued that the very need to amend the legislation just two years after it was first introduced reflected its shortcomings. "The government has mastered the art of changing laws when governance fails. The names of exams, victims and criminals change, but somehow neither the government nor the crime changes," Banerjee remarked.
The Diamond Harbour MP also criticised the government's handling of the nationwide protests that followed the alleged NEET paper leak, accusing it of responding to students' concerns with force instead of dialogue.
"Over the past two months, millions of young people have taken to the streets asking the government questions. The government responded with batons and barricades... This government considers every protest a conspiracy," he said.
Referring to the police action against demonstrators, Banerjee questioned why students demanding accountability were being treated as a threat to public order. "Lakhs of students came onto the streets to protest. Instead of listening to them, police used lathis, tear gas and pellet guns. Why are young Indians treated as a law and order problem?" he asked.
Banerjee said students were not seeking sympathy but certainty about the integrity of public examinations and their future. "Students aren't asking for sympathy, they are asking for certainty," he said.
Questioning the government's claims of administrative competence, he asked why repeated paper leaks continued despite assurances of robust systems.
"If you are so competent, why can't you secure a sealed question paper?" Banerjee said.
The Trinamool MP also criticised the extraordinary measures reportedly adopted to transport examination papers, saying they reflected a deeper governance failure.
"If this is New India, why do paper leaks happen so consistently? We had to use measures meant for national security. We had to bring the military into paper transport. The youth of India did not ask for helicopters; they asked for honesty," he said.
While reiterating that the Trinamool Congress supports stronger legal safeguards against examination fraud, Banerjee argued that legislation alone could not restore public confidence. "We support this Bill because students deserve protection. But this legislation cannot become a certificate of innocence, nor can it erase the images of students who came seeking justice and were met with barricades and pellet guns," he said.
In a sharp political swipe at the ruling dispensation, Banerjee said governments are ultimately judged by their actions rather than their rhetoric. "Governments are not remembered by their speeches. Instead of 'Amrit Kaal', this government has given the youth 'Anxiety Kaal'," he said.
The debate on the amendment Bill comes amid continuing political controversy over the alleged NEET paper leak, recurring examination irregularities and the government's response to student protests across the country.
