New Delhi

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday took a jibe at Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, urging him to dedicate at least five minutes of his speech to the actual merits and details of the anti-paper leak bill.

Speaking to the reporters, Rijiju criticised the Opposition's approach during parliamentary proceedings, saying that the government asserted that the legislation was brought in response to widespread demands from students to ensure fairness in competitive examinations.

"The Congress members did not speak on the bill at all; instead, they engaged in politics. Today, we hope that Rahul Gandhi and others will speak on the bill. A discussion on such a crucial bill is underway, yet they seek to divert attention and politicise the issue by talking about unrelated matters. This bill has been introduced in response to students' demands, and the Prime Minister's major decision has instilled a new sense of confidence among students; if the Congress party has any further suggestions regarding the examination process, they are welcome to offer them," he said.

He further called the Opposition to engage in meaningful dialogue rather than political posturing.

"You must have heard that even Priyanka Vadra spoke on matters completely outside the scope of the bill. Every opposition MP spoke without addressing the actual bill. Since they did not speak on the bill, I have expectations today--specifically from Rahul Gandhi. I hope that in a speech lasting 20 or 30 minutes, he speaks about the bill for at least 5 minutes. It is not right to avoid speaking on such an important bill," he added.

Furthermore, Rijiju accused Rahul Gandhi of employing "undemocratic and abusive language" that undermines the dignity and decorum of Indian parliamentary democracy.

"Rahul Gandhi is using all kinds of undemocratic and abusive language, which is not in the setting for correct discourse in parliamentary democracy. One must use civilised and soft language. We may differ with each other, but the way Rahul ji is using abusive, very demeaning kind of language is not good for democracy and for our country," he said.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to introduce the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, as per the revised list of business for the day.

The Lower House will also continue further consideration of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026. Union Minister Jitendra Singh is scheduled to move that the Bill, aimed at curbing examination malpractices, be taken into consideration and subsequently passed.

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Significantly, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is expected to address the House around 12:30 PM today specifically regarding the "Anti-Paper Leak" bill. The opposition has been critical of the government's handling of recent examination irregularities and is expected to raise several concerns during the discussion.