‘Change heart, not camera angle’: Priyanka Gandhi criticises PM Modi on youth protest crackdown

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party government for the police crackdown on youth protests, remarking that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should change his “dil ka angle [heart’s angle], not camera angle”.

On Thursday, the prime minister had posted a late-night video message on social media assuring strict action on cases of paper leaks in competitive examinations, amid nationwide youth protests over irregularities in the process.

A day later, he posted another video thanking viewers for the responses and positive suggestions on the previous night.

Speaking during the debate on the 2026 Public Examinations Prevention of Unfair Means Amendment Bill, Vadra questioned the government’s handling of the student protests and asked who had authorised the use of force against demonstrators.

“The whole country, not merely Congress is asking – what was the need, and who, the Home Minister or the Prime Minister – allowed the lathis, tear gas, water canons, pellet guns and AK47 to be used on students on July 20,” she asked.

She also questioned whether the protesters “were terrorists”.

Vadra alleged that the examination system had failed, claiming there had been 152 paper leaks over the past decade affecting crores of students, while “not a single culprit” or member of the “paper leak mafia” had been punished.

The Wayanad MP...

Read more