New Delhi: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Tuesday that there is a need for the Prime Minister to change the ‘angle of heart’ and not the ‘angle of a phone camera’ for a social media video to win Gen Z’s hearts.
Participating in the debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha, she said, “You can remove protestors from the road but cannot ignore the questions being raised by them.”
She said the government should improve its intention and retrieve its reputation.
Demanding drastic changes in the National Education Policy, engagement of experts, job creation and construction of medical colleges, she called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take concrete steps, adding that constituting expert committees would not yield much,
Earlier, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s remarks on the new Education Minister Pralhad Joshi pitted the treasury benches against the opposition, with Joshi and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey demanding that she authenticate the “misinformation” given by her.
Joshi refuted the remarks and demanded expulsion of the remarks made by Priyanka Gandhi.
As the Wayanad MP said that she would authenticate her remarks, Speaker Om Birla intervened to remind her that she should not digress and limit her remarks only to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026.
Pointing to the proposed new law, Priyanka Gandhi said that a similar law was brought in by the government in 2024, but that has not resulted in the conviction of even a single accused.
“Face recognition technology is being used against students, but this technology is still to be used against those involved in paper leaks,” said Priyanka Gandhi.
She also questioned the eligibility of members included in the committee formed by the government under Nandan Nilekani
The Congress MP on Tuesday said the entire nation and parents of injured students want answers on who approved the use of pellet guns and AK-47s on protestors during the agitation against exam irregularities.
She also called for accountability of those in government.
“The students are disillusioned. Money is overshadowing merit. They want the system that is endangering their future to be improved,” she said.
The students only demanded accountability and removal of those who were responsible for irregularities, but they were met with the use of force, she said, referring to the alleged NEET paper leak.
“The examination system has itself failed. Over 750 crore students have been hit by 152 paper leaks in the last decade but not a single mafia was punished,” said Priyanka Gandhi, alleging that the government has weakened the sectors that have potential to generate jobs.
To restore the faith of the youth in the decayed system, drastic steps need to be taken, and efforts like PR and narrative change will fail, she said, expressing concern over the ‘rousing welcome’ given to the former education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Parliament premises within days of his resignation.
She earlier narrated the anger and frustration of the mother of a girl who was injured in police action during the students’ protests.
Priyanka Gandhi said the woman refused to seek anybody’s help and pledged to fight a lonely battle.
The Congress leader questioned the government about the purpose behind the use of force against students.
“Are students terrorists? What was the need to use pellet guns and AK-47 against them? The Congress and the entire nation want to know who gave the order to use these guns against students,” she said.
(IANS)
