CM Yogi Accuses SP, Congress of Exploiting Students, Highlights Modi Govt's Anti-Leak Measures

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday accused the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress of "exploiting" the future of students and youth, while asserting that the Modi government has taken stringent steps against what he described as the "paper leak mafia." Speaking at a public event at Madaripur Kala Ground in Fatehpur, where he inaugurated and laid foundation stones for 125 development projects worth more than Rs 489 crore, the Chief Minister said the central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been taking continuous action to safeguard students' interests, and warned that anyone found tampering with students' futures would not be spared.

Referring to the government's proposed amendments to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, CM Yogi said the Centre plans to introduce stricter legal provisions in Parliament aimed at curbing paper leaks and examination-related offenses. He said those found guilty under the strengthened law would face severe punishment, including confiscation of assets acquired through illegal means. He added that the Union Cabinet had decided a day earlier that individuals involved in cheating and exam malpractice would face a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison along with a fine of up to Rs 10 crore for harming students' futures.

Launching a pointed attack on the Opposition, Yogi alleged that the SP and Congress were now "shedding crocodile tears" despite having, in his view, exploited the youth and jeopardized the futures of an entire generation during their time in power. He credited Prime Minister Modi with taking major decisions in recent days aimed at protecting students, and also referenced steps taken concerning the National Testing Agency (NTA), asserting that the New Education Policy has strengthened the identity of India's youth on the global stage.

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Turning to law and order in Uttar Pradesh, the Chief Minister said there was no longer room for mafias or criminals to operate in the state, stating that such individuals now faced only two outcomes — imprisonment or death — and claimed his government had taken decisive action against criminal networks and land mafias, including the removal of illegal encroachments on government land. He further alleged that the current examination malpractice issues were rooted in practices established during Congress and Samajwadi Party rule, claiming that deserving candidates were historically denied opportunities under their governments, particularly in recruitment drives conducted between 2012 and 2017.

In contrast, Yogi said his government had provided more than nine lakh government jobs over the past nine years through what he described as a transparent recruitment process, including 12 lakh jobs created in the past year alone. He reiterated that the NEET examination had been conducted and its results declared within a fixed timeline to prevent students from losing an academic year, and reaffirmed the government's commitment to continuing strict action against examination malpractice and recruitment irregularities, warning that those attempting to jeopardize the futures of young aspirants would face the harshest possible consequences under the proposed strengthened law.

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