Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday came down heavily on the BJP-led Union Government for imposing restrictions on the online platform Telegram, ahead of the NEET-UG re-examination scheduled for June 21.
Calling it a measure similar to "hanging a lock on the victim’s door" instead of catching the thief, Gandhi said it will adversely impact the students who have been depending on the platform to prepare for the examination.
"Telegram Ban’ - Modi Government’s New Trick to Stop Paper Leaks. Meaning, instead of catching the thief, just hang a lock on the victim’s door. Millions of students have been studying on Telegram for years - notes, test series, discussions, preparation. How does snatching that facility become the solution to paper leaks?," Gandhi asked in a post on X.
The government has imposed temporary restrictions on Telegram until June 22, a move welcomed by the National Testing Agency (NTA), which said the action was aimed at preventing paper leaks, fraud and the spread of misinformation targeting examination candidates.
Authorities have also reportedly instructed Telegram to disable its message-editing feature for existing posts in India until June 30, citing concerns that the functionality could be misused to create fabricated evidence of examination paper leaks.
Stating that the move is not foolproof, Gandhi said, "...every student in the country knows this, and so does the paper leak mafia. So, who will the next ban be on? WhatsApp?"
"On exam day, students will be frisked. Pockets will be cut open with scissors. Question papers will be sent via the Air Force. There won’t be any shortage of theatrics," the Congress leader wrote.
He also slammed the Centre for failing to strike at the root of the problem and instead making the students suffer.
"But not a single strike at the root of the disease - because the paper leak mafia is thriving under this very government’s watch, and making the youth cry tears of blood," he said.
"Modi Ji - drop the theatrics. Strike at the mafia, not the students. Listen to the ‘Echo of Students’ - or else the youth of the country knows how to claim their rights," he added.
Gandhi also shared the post of an X user who explained the ordeal of her brother, who had to approach "pirated content scammers" to access "NEET PG notes, videos and paid study groups" after Telegram was blocked in India.
Rahul Gandhi's reaction came hours before he is set to interact with a group of students, including NEET aspirants in Rajasthan's Kota, marking the beginning of a nationwide Congress campaign focusing on the future of the youth, transparency in recruitment examinations, employment and reforms in the education system.
Meanwhile, the Telegram on Wednesday moved the Delhi High Court against the temporary ban. Telegram founder Pavel Durov alleged that Reliance Group and WhatsApp may be connected to efforts to ban the platform in India.