Parliament Monsoon Session 2026 LIVE Updates: "Opposition Politicised The Issue," Says Kiren Rijiju On Anti-Paper Leak Bill Debate

Making a passionate argument for not just punishing those guilty of paper leaks but overhauling the system to ensure an entire year of a student's life does not depend on one examination attempt, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday reminded his Parliament colleagues that an aspirant walking into an exam hall carries the hopes of an entire family with him.Speaking in the Lok Sabha during the debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, which seeks to enhance punishments for paper leaks, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said the ambition must be to prevent such incidents from happening in the first place."We are here because the system is broken and we must fix it. Every year, millions of Indians sit for examinations like NEET, UGC-Net, JEE. They don't just carry an admit card into the exam hall, they carry years of hard work, sleepless nights, the hopes of entire families. Behind them are parents who exhaust their savings on coaching and books. Mothers and fathers who actually put their own needs aside so their child can have one more chance. And students who leave the comfort of their homes, often at a very young age, to spend years in unfamiliar cities chasing a single opportunity," Tharoor said. I finally got to speak in the LokSabha on the Paper Leaks Amendment Bill at 10:40 pm. I dramatically abbreviated my arguments for lack of time, but made a few crucial points in the nine minutes I was given, punctuated by the Chair ringing the bell repeatedly and even switching… pic.twitter.com/1hUHKBXjin— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) July 28, 2026