Opposition, CJP Slam Nirmala Sitharaman Over Paper Leak Remarks; 'Insensitive to Students' Charge Sparks Political Row

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has come under sharp criticism from the Opposition and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) after her remarks on examination paper leaks triggered a political storm. Congress and student protest leaders accused the minister of being insensitive to the plight of lakhs of aspirants affected by alleged irregularities in competitive examinations.

The controversy erupted after Sitharaman suggested that while paper leaks had initially hurt students, some candidates used the additional preparation time before re-examinations to improve their performance.

Sitharaman cites students who 'benefited' from extra preparation

In an interview with ANI, Sitharaman said some students had told the government that although the paper leak was initially upsetting, the delay before the re-examination allowed them to prepare better and perform well.

"There are young people who are coming out and saying, 'Yes, first it sort of hurt me when the paper leakage happened. But later I took advantage of that and prepared even more and my performance has improved.' So there are young people who have taken this challenge and come out in bright colours. With all this, the government is responding, the PM is responding," she said.

Her remarks came after NEET UG 2026 All India Rank 2 holder Panshul Bansal said in an interview that he chose to continue studying instead of joining protests, treating the delay as an opportunity to improve his score.

"I thought of the situation as an opportunity to improve my score. So I thought, why should I go to the protest? Instead, I could be studying at home and improving my skills and score," Bansal had said.

Congress calls remarks insensitive

Congress leader Supriya Shrinate criticised Sitharaman's comments in a social media post, accusing the Finance Minister of displaying insensitivity towards students whose careers had been affected by repeated examination irregularities.

The Opposition argued that the focus should remain on restoring the integrity of the examination system rather than highlighting instances where candidates managed to cope with the disruption.

CJP attacks government over statement

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) also strongly objected to the minister's remarks.

Reacting to Sitharaman's statement, CJP leader Ashutosh Ranka said, "By this logic, every paper in this country should get leaked."

The organisation questioned whether the government was "extolling the virtues of paper leaks" instead of accepting responsibility for failures in the examination system.

CJP protest continues

The controversy comes amid the continuing CJP-led agitation over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations.

The organisation has reiterated four key demands:

• Resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan
• ₹1 crore compensation for families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide
• No prosecution of peaceful protesters
• Legal action against police personnel accused of excesses during the protests

Although activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike after receiving written assurances from the Centre on several issues, the CJP has said its protest will continue until its principal demand for Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation is met.