New Delhi, July 28 — Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday to change the “angle of heart” rather than the “angle of a phone camera” to win Gen Z’s trust, while pressing the government for accountability over alleged exam irregularities and the use of force against protesting students. Her remarks came during the Lok Sabha debate on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026.
Speaking in the Lower House, Priyanka Gandhi said authorities “can remove protestors from the road but cannot ignore the questions being raised by them,” and called on the government to improve its intent and restore its reputation. She demanded drastic changes to the National Education Policy, meaningful engagement of experts, job creation and the construction of medical colleges, adding that merely constituting expert committees would achieve little.
Her comments about the new Education Minister, Pralhad Joshi, triggered a clash with the treasury benches. Joshi and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey demanded that she authenticate what they called “misinformation”; Joshi refuted her remarks and sought their expulsion. As Priyanka Gandhi offered to authenticate her statements, Speaker Om Birla intervened and asked her to stay focused on the bill.
Pointing to enforcement gaps, she said a similar law introduced in 2024 has not produced a single conviction. “Face recognition technology is being used against students, but this technology is still to be used against those involved in paper leaks,” she said, and questioned the eligibility of members on the committee formed under Nandan Nilekani.
Priyanka Gandhi demanded answers on who authorised the use of pellet guns and AK-47s against protesters during agitations over alleged exam irregularities, and called for government accountability. She recounted the anger of a mother whose daughter was injured in police action; the woman, she said, refused help and vowed to fight alone.
Highlighting student disillusionment, she said, “The students are disillusioned. Money is overshadowing merit.” She alleged that “over 750 crore students have been hit by 152 paper leaks in the last decade but not a single mafia was punished,” and warned that PR efforts and narrative changes would fail to restore youth faith in a decayed system. She also criticised the “rousing welcome” given to former education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Parliament premises days after his resignation.
Closing her intervention, Priyanka Gandhi asked, “Are students terrorists? What was the need to use pellet guns and AK-47 against them?” She said the Congress and the nation seek to know who ordered the use of these weapons against students.
Original Source: https://www.morungexpress.com/change-angle-of-heart-not-camera-priyanka-gandhis-advice-to-pm-modi
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Publish Date: 2026-07-28 19:05:00
