BJP Accuses Kharge Of 'Threatening Violence' Over Amit Shah Comment

A heated exchange broke out in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday during the discussion on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, with the Centre and the Congress trading sharp accusations over examination paper leaks and the handling of recent student protests. The debate intensified after Union Minister Jitendra Singh introduced the amendment bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha by a voice vote a day earlier. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) later accused Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge of making remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah that it described as "threatening violence."

While moving the bill, Jitendra Singh criticised the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for failing to establish a national testing body despite being aware of the need for one. He said the Narendra Modi-led government had completed an "unfinished task" left by the UPA and accused the previous administration of ignoring recommendations from an expert panel aimed at preventing examination paper leaks. Singh also argued that the Opposition's criticism reflected its awareness of similar issues during the UPA's tenure.

Responding to the minister, Mallikarjun Kharge shifted the focus to the recent police action against student protesters at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. He alleged police brutality during the demonstrations and demanded that Union Home Minister Amit Shah explain the government's handling of the protests. Kharge said Shah should clarify the circumstances surrounding the police action and added that he should resign if he failed to do so. He also claimed the amendment bill had been introduced primarily to calm public anger following the protests and the controversy surrounding examination paper leaks.

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The BJP strongly objected to Kharge's remarks, describing them as unacceptable and alleging that they amounted to a "threat of violence" against the Home Minister. The debate comes in the backdrop of student protests over alleged examination paper leaks, led by the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which concluded after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Union Education Minister. The issue has remained a major point of confrontation between the government and the Opposition during the ongoing Parliament session.

The amendment bill proposes stricter penalties for offences related to examination paper leaks, including increasing the maximum jail term to 10 years and raising the maximum fine to Rs 50 lakh for individuals involved. For service providers found guilty of such offences, the maximum penalty has been enhanced from Rs 1 crore to Rs 5 crore, while the debarment period from conducting public examinations has been extended from four to eight years. Jitendra Singh also highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to constitute a high-level task force to make the public examination system leak-proof, stating that significant progress had been made in implementing its recommendations to strengthen the country's examination framework.

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