Raghav Chadha finally spoke up. The BJP MP broke his silence on the nationwide paper leak protests on Thursday, telling the Rajya Sabha he had made himself a promise: he would speak only once the problem was actually being fixed.
Chadha left AAP and joined the BJP three months ago. His role changed, he said, and so did his approach.
Why He Stayed Quiet
“My well-wishers had been asking me when I would speak on the NEET issue. I want to tell them humbly that when I was in the Opposition, questions were my weapon. Now I sit on the treasury benches, so [finding] a solution is my responsibility. Even I could have come before the camera and given a sound bite daily, but I want an outcome, not a headline,” he told the House.
He made the remark during the debate on the Centre’s bill to toughen the law against paper leaks.
A Quieter Social Media Presence
Chadha built his reputation as a youth icon in Indian politics. That image took a hit after he switched parties.
His social media following has dropped since he joined the BJP. For weeks, users online kept asking the same question: why isn’t he speaking on the protests?
He answered that directly too. “When I was in the Opposition, my job was to raise issues and ask questions. The House and you [Chair] know I did that job with full honesty. Today, my role is not to mark attendance in front of the camera, but to fix this system. So I made a promise to myself that I would speak on this issue in Parliament on the day we bring the solution to this problem. Today is that historic day when the system is getting fixed,” he said.
Crediting the Government’s Response
Chadha framed the bill as proof the government had listened. He said the NDA had brought systemic changes to address students’ complaints directly.
“Their voices matter, their voices were heard and systemic changes have been brought in. Their voices have not been treated as a political challenge but as a concern expressed by the young in the family,” he said.
Chadha didn’t stop at praising the government. He went after his rivals next.
He said paper leaks had happened before, under different governments, but nothing followed except discussion. “Today action is happening,” he said. He insisted no single party owns the paper leak problem. “This is a pan-India organised crime, a chronic disease,” he said.
Then he named names. He raised alleged irregularities in the pharmacy officer recruitment exam in Punjab, a state his former party now runs. He brought up past paper leak cases under Congress governments too.
“Political memory can be selective, public record can’t be. If a national exam’s paper leak is a national crisis, how can a paper leak in an Opposition-ruled state be a local incident? There is no difference between students,” he said.
‘Risk Mera, Reel Tumhari’
Chadha saved his sharpest line for last. He accused political leaders of using the protests for their own visibility rather than the students’ cause.
“The fight of students is to secure the exams, but political leaders are looking to increase their social media reach. When political leaders push students across the barricades and stay on the safe side during protests, they must be asked what kind of partnership is this? Risk mera, reel tumhari. A students’ movement is for their future, not for the comeback of a flop political party,” he said.
Parliament passed the anti-paper leak amendment on Thursday, right after Chadha’s speech. The Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, cleared the Rajya Sabha by voice vote. Several Opposition parties walked out before the vote.
Curated news reports, in-depth analysis, and special features by India’s Opinion editorial team.
