Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday, 28 July declared that students across India will secure genuine justice only when the country's educational and governance structures undergo a fundamental transformation. Speaking outside Parliament House in New Delhi, Yadav linked the demand to the fallout from the NEET paper-leak controversy, which recently forced the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Yadav on the Student Agitation

Addressing reporters, Akhilesh Yadav said the scale of the protest movement was amplified by family solidarity. 'Not only the students, but even the family members also extended support, because of which the agitation became so big and finally the Centre had to give in,' he said. He argued that Pradhan's resignation, while significant, was insufficient on its own — a change in institutional thinking was equally essential.

'When there is a drastic change in the established system, only then will the students get justice,' Yadav said, framing his remarks as a broader indictment of governance rather than a single ministerial exit.

UP Paper Leaks and the Scale of Impact

Yadav trained particular focus on Uttar Pradesh, claiming more than 20 exam paper leaks have occurred in the state. He noted that a majority of students who participated in the agitation hailed from Uttar Pradesh, underscoring the state's outsized stake in the controversy.

On the NEET exam specifically, Yadav said approximately 20 lakh students appeared for the test, meaning nearly one crore people — including family members — were directly affected by the alleged irregularities. 'This is why the MPs might have been feeling the heat, and hence the government had to bow down,' he said.

Pressure on Ruling Alliance MPs

The SP chief alleged that the Centre was compelled to yield to student demands partly because several ruling alliance members of Parliament had begun to fear political consequences. 'They were also scared about themselves,' he claimed, suggesting internal nervousness within the National Democratic Alliance over the electoral fallout from the controversy.

Demand for Home Minister's Accountability

Yadav also called out Union Home Minister Amit Shah, arguing that Shah should have been present in Parliament to answer for the conduct of police forces — which come under the Home Ministry — against student demonstrators. He alleged that police 'unleashed brutality on the youth agitators' during the protests.

Anti-Paper-Leak Bill Debate Begins in Lok Sabha

Meanwhile, the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, came up for debate in the Lok Sabha at 2 pm on the same day. Opening the discussion, Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government had 'finished the unfinished task' of the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government by introducing stringent legislation to address paper leaks and other examination-related irregularities.

The bill's passage, if it clears both Houses, would mark a legislative response to one of the most sustained student-led protests in recent years — though opposition leaders, including Yadav, argue that legal reform alone cannot substitute for structural change in how examinations are administered and overseen.