Congress Launches Nationwide Campaign to Expose Paper Leaks and Tackle Youth Unemployment

In a move that mixes political protest with a social plea, the Indian National Congress kicked off a nationwide campaign yesterday aimed at exposing paper leaks in government examinations. Standing in front of a sea of supporters, senior leaders — including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and former Union Minister S. Jaishankar — promised to push the Union government to tighten safeguards, saying the problem has become a “cancer” eating away at merit.

“Every time a leak happens, a deserving student’s dream is shattered,” Kharge said, his voice cracking slightly as he referenced a recent scandal in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) exam. He added that such malpractics not only undermine confidence in public institutions but also exacerbate an already dire unemployment scenario for India’s youth.

The timing of the campaign, some analysts note, is no coincidence. Recent data from the Ministry of Labour shows that unemployment among the 15‑29 age group has hovered around 10 percent for the past year, a figure that many experts deem unsustainable. The Congress party is trying to stitch together two threads — electoral accountability and a genuine concern for job‑seekers.

As part of the drive, the party has rolled out a series of “watch‑dog” cells in universities and colleges across the country. Volunteers will collect testimonies, monitor examination portals, and even file RTI applications to unearth the chain of people allegedly involved in leaking question papers. The aim, according to a party spokesperson, is “to make transparency the norm rather than the exception.”

Critics, however, argue that the campaign is more about scoring political points before the upcoming general elections. “It’s a classic case of opposition parties weaponising genuine grievances,” said political analyst Dr. Anjali Mehta. Still, the Congress leadership remains undeterred, insisting that real change can only happen when the public pressure is relentless.

On the ground, the mood among young attendees was a mixture of hope and frustration. “We study hard, we hope to serve the nation, but when papers get leaked, it feels like the system is rigged against us,” said Rohan, a final‑year engineering student from Madhya Pradesh. He, like many others, voiced a desire for more transparent recruitment processes and a robust job creation strategy.

The campaign also calls for the government to accelerate its “Skill India” initiatives, arguing that skill‑based employment could act as a safety net for those left out of the traditional civil‑service route. In a brief statement, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said it welcomes “constructive criticism” and pledged to review existing mechanisms.

Whether the Congress’ crusade will translate into concrete policy shifts remains to be seen. What is clear, though, is that the issue of paper leaks is now tethered to a larger narrative about youth unemployment, making it a focal point of national debate as India gears up for a crucial electoral battle.