PM Modi Releases Midnight Video on NEET Paper Leak as Sonam Wangchuk Ends Hunger Strike on day 26

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday broke his silence on the NEET paper leak controversy with a late-night video message, announcing a series of measures aimed at restoring confidence in India's examination system amid nationwide protests over alleged examination irregularities.

The Prime Minister said the issue was very painful and that the students and parents were worried about it, and that the government was determined to make the competitive examinations fair and transparent.

PM Modi Assures Students of Government Action

The Prime Minister in his speech said that the government was aware of the emotional toll on lakhs of students who had been preparing for competitive exams for months, due to the alleged paper leaks.

He said that the protection of the interests of students was still a top priority and that every effort was being made to ensure the integrity of the examination process was maintained.

Arrested In Connection With The Paper Leak Cases

Modi pointed to the government's action in the last two and a half months, stating that it had identified and arrested several accused in paper leak cases. He said that the government would take strict action against the culprits as investigations continued and that it was committed to regaining the public trust in the examination system.

Re-Examinations conducted for 22 Lakhs of students

The Prime Minister said the government had conducted re-examinations for nearly 22 lakh students to ensure they did not lose an academic year because of the controversy.

According to Modi, the results of the re-examinations were declared on July 19, allowing affected students to continue the admission process without major delays. He said the decision was taken to protect students' academic future while investigations into the alleged paper leaks continued.

The Government will Enact a More Stringent Anti-Paper Leak Law.

The government's intention to put in place a tougher law to tackle examination paper leaks was one of the main points in the Prime Minister's speech. The Union Cabinet will hold a discussion on the proposed legislation on Friday before finalizing its provisions, Modi said.

He also said the government would present a Bill in Parliament next week with measures to impose harsher penalties on people who leak examination papers and commit other malpractices.

The draft bill would also provide for fast-track courts to ensure paper leak cases are heard and decided on priority. The government will do its utmost to pass the Bill at the earliest, the Prime Minister said.

Rahul Gandhi Questions PM's Response

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi immediately responded to the Prime Minister's address, saying the video message did not mention the demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

In a post on X, Gandhi urged the Prime Minister not to "insult the intelligence of students" and reiterated three demands of the Opposition.

He demanded Pradhan's resignation, action against those who allegedly assaulted the protesting students and an apology from the government.

The criticism came a day before the nationwide protest call by the Cockroach Janta Party and just after climate activist Sonam Wangchuk broke his 26-day hunger strike in support of the student movement.

Government Signals More Reforms

The Prime Minister ended his speech by reiterating that safeguarding the future of India's youth was one of the top priorities of the Government.

The Centre's recent statements suggest that further legal and administrative steps may be taken to enhance the credibility of competitive examinations and to stop future paper leak incidents, as protests against alleged examination irregularities persist in various parts of the country.