Highlighting the plight of youths due to paper leaks, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said his party will not allow anyone to play with the future of students and come out with a concrete plan to make government recruitment process transparent. The issue of paper leak has become a curse not only for the youth of Uttar Pradesh but also for the entire country, he said in a post on X in Hindi.

Gandhi was apparently referring to the cancellation of a police recruitment examination in Uttar Pradesh following allegations of the question paper being leaked. The BJP-led state government, which has ordered a re-test, on Tuesday removed the chairperson of the UP Police Recruitment and Promotion Board.

In the last seven years, "more than 70 paper leak cases have shattered the dreams of more than two crore students", he claimed and added that this is "wasting precious years of building for the future". This also puts a financial and mental burden on the families of students, the Congress leader said.

The paper leak issue refers to frequent incidents of question papers of government recruitment examinations being leaked and tests getting cancelled. "There is a need to ensure accountability at all levels by ending the criminal nexus of a negligent government, corrupt officials, 'cheating mafia' and private printing presses," Gandhi said in his post. He said when he spoke to students, they told him that there are three main reasons for paper leaks. There are "a sold out government machinery, private printing presses and subordinate services selection commission becoming a den of corruption", the former Congress chief said.

By combining the suggestions received from everyone, the Congress is preparing a concrete and foolproof plan to make the recruitment process transparent, Gandhi said and asserted that "very soon we will present our vision before you".

"We will not allow the future of students to be played with. The future of the youth is India's priority," he said.

Congress general secretary communications Jairam Ramesh in a post on X said the numbers of those affected by the "recurrent paper leak scams in the 'anyay-kaal (period of injustice) are shocking".

"In February alone, paper leaks have occurred for the UP police recruitment, which impacted 50 lakh aspirants competing for 60,000 positions, and the UP state 12th standard board examinations in mathematics and biology," he said.

Each leak is a serious "anyay to our hardworking, aspirational yuva (youth)", he said and added that "we (the Congress) will soon unveil a foolproof plan to safeguard the integrity of our examinations".

"The INDIA janbandhan's sarkar (INDIA bloc) will not just recruit for the 10 lakh vacant positions in the Union government, (but) it will (also) ensure that the recruitment process is fully transparent," Ramesh said.

The Congress is part of the INDIA bloc, an alliance of opposition parties to counter the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls.

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