New Delhi: Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the nationwide protests over examination paper leaks reflected the anger and frustration of students rather than hatred, as he participated in the Lok Sabha debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026.
Addressing the House, Gandhi said the country’s future had come out onto the streets to voice its concerns and urged BJP leaders to speak to their own children to understand what had gone wrong.
“The country’s future was on the streets. Those in the BJP should ask their own children what went wrong. There was anger in the protests, not hatred. They were only raising their voice,” Gandhi said.
During his speech, Gandhi used the word “idiot”, prompting protests from Treasury bench members. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju objected to the remark, following which Gandhi responded that if the government wanted only the BJP to speak in Parliament, he was willing to sit down.
The Lok Sabha continued its discussion on the Bill for the second consecutive day. The legislation was debated for nearly nine hours on Tuesday.
On the first day of the debate, Union Minister Jitendra Singh and BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj presented the government’s position, while Gaurav Gogoi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Akhilesh Yadav spoke on behalf of the Opposition.
