New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Lok Sabha member, Bansuri Swaraj, on Tuesday lashed out at the Opposition for its “selective outrage” over paper leak cases after the Congress and other opposition leaders cornered the NDA government over the NEET paper leak.
Addressing the Lok Sabha during the debate on Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, the BJP MP asserted that around “22 exam irregularities” were reported during the previous UPA government.
Asserting that debate should be on facts and not on prejudices, Swaraj responded to Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, saying: “Bail is given by the court and not by the government and in a democracy, the Judiciary is independent of the Legislature and the Executive.”
Speaking earlier in the lower House, Gogoi questioned the progress of the NEET-UG paper leak investigation, citing a newspaper report, he claimed that 44 of the 45 people chargesheeted in the case are currently out on bail.
She accused the Congress and other opposition parties of attempting to create a narrative that paper leak issue was “born in 2014”.
“If media reports are to be believed, in Opposition-ruled states and during the previous UPA government, around 22 paper leak cases were reported,” Swaraj said.
“Among these six of the examinations came directly under the Central government. AIIMS-PG exam 2006, ICAI-CPT examination 2007, CLAT 2009, Railway Recruitment Board examination 2009, AIEEE 2011, and SSC CGL exam 2013, all these exam irregularities took place during the Congress-led UPA regime.”
Regarding the alleged paper leaks in several states across the country, the BJP MP said: “During Congress government in Rajasthan – REET, RPSC, Senior Teacher Recruitment, Police Constable examination, Forest Guard recruitment and CHMO recruitment exam papers got leaked.”
“During Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal, the Supreme Court cancelled 27,753 appointments in the teacher recruitment scam due to fraud and manipulations,” she added.
She also said that similar paper leaks irregularities took place during the Bharat Rashtra Samithi government in Telangana and Samajwadi Party’s (SP) government in Uttar Pradesh.
“Organised exam (leak) gangs used to operate in Uttar Pradesh during SP’s regime,” she remarked.
Launching an attack on the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab, Swaraj said: “This year itself high tech paper leak took place in the Punjab Pharmacy Officer recruitment exam.”
“I am calling out Opposition on its selective outrage,” the BJP MP asserted.
Swaraj added: “If it is a fight about principles, then how does it undergoes a change with a change in government?”
Addressing Gaurav Gaogoi, the BJP Lok Sabha member from New Delhi, said: “He (Gaurav Gogoi) spoke about the former Union Education Minister (Dharmendra Pradhan) but has he sought the resignation of the Punjab Education Minister (Harjot Singh Bains) yet?”
(IANS)
