Speaking in the Lok Sabha ahead of the scheduled eight-hour discussion on the Bill, Rijiju said the government was prepared for a debate but would not allow the legislation to be held up if Opposition parties chose not to participate.
"If the Opposition parties do not want to discuss the Examination Reforms Bill, the government will get the Bill passed without discussion," he said.
After Rijiju's remarks, the Speaker said that all parties should hold consultations so that discussion is taken up at 5 pm.
The BJP and NDA have submitted to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla a list of leaders who will participate in the discussion on the Bill.
The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday said the government would press ahead with the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, even if the Opposition boycotts the debate, asserting that the legislation would be passed regardless.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha ahead of the scheduled eight-hour discussion on the Bill, Rijiju said the government was prepared for a debate but would not allow the legislation to be held up if Opposition parties chose not to participate.
"If the Opposition parties do not want to discuss the Examination Reforms Bill, the government will get the Bill passed without discussion," he said.
After Rijiju's remarks, the Speaker said that all parties should hold consultations so that discussion is taken up at 5 pm.
The BJP and NDA have submitted to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla a list of leaders who will participate in the discussion on the Bill. The government is likely to propose an eight-hour discussion on the legislation.
The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh. Around 12 NDA leaders have been finalised to speak on the legislation, including Bansuri Swaraj, Tejasvi Surya, Shashank Mani Tripathi, Anurag Thakur, Shrikant Shinde, Arun Bharti, Alok Suman, Anupriya Patel and Sayali Ghosh.
Meanwhile, the Congress and other Opposition parties have demanded that the Bill not be taken up for direct discussion and instead be referred to a Parliamentary Standing Committee or a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for further deliberation.
The Congress has also demanded that Union Home Minister Amit Shah first make a statement in the Lok Sabha on the alleged assault of students, following which the discussion on the Bill should be taken up.
Congress MP Tariq Anwar said, "It is the stand of the Congress party, and Rahul Gandhi has reiterated this several times, that the PM and the government should apologise for the way students were treated. There is a lot of anger among the people. Tragically, the double-engine government is bent on suppressing students. How did they (Police) even have the courage to fire at the students?
