The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday took a swipe at the government after it temporarily restricted access to Telegram, saying the "new trick" was akin to putting a lock on the victim's house instead of catching the thief.
The government on Tuesday temporarily restricted access to the Telegram messaging app ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, with the National Testing Agency (NTA) saying the measure was aimed at tackling cheating rackets and misinformation.
Telegram has stopped working for existing users in India after the government temporarily restricted access to the app, but it continues to remain operational through Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
Google delisted the app on Tuesday, and Apple's App Store has also removed it now in compliance with the government order to block access to the app ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination.
In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, "'Telegram Ban'—Modi government's new trick to stop paper leaks. Meaning, instead of catching the thief, just put a lock on the victim's door."
"Lakhs of students have been studying on Telegram for years—notes, test series, discussions, preparation. How does snatching that facility become the solution to paper leaks? And it's not even foolproof—every student in the country knows this, and so does the paper leak mafia. So, who will the next ban be on? WhatsApp?" Gandhi said.
"On exam day, students will be frisked. Pockets will be cut open with scissors. Question papers will be sent via the Air Force. There won't be any shortage of theatrics. But not a single strike at the root of the disease—because the paper leak mafia is thriving under this very government's watch, and making the youth weep tears of blood. Modi Ji—drop the theatrics. Strike at the mafia, not the students," Gandhi said.
Listen to the 'Echo of Students'—or else the youth of the country know how to claim their rights, Gandhi said.
NTA Director General Abhishek Singh said the restriction on Telegram until June 22 is part of efforts to ensure that the June 21 re-test is conducted without malpractice.
"We will not let anything go wrong. We will take all possible actions to ensure that the examination is conducted without any malpractice," Singh told PTI, when asked about the move.
