'Rahul Gandhi Had FOMO': Jitendra Singh's Gen Z Jibe Sparks Clash In Lok Sabha

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday accused Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi of being motivated by "FOMO" — or "fear of missing out" — over his ambition to become Prime Minister, using Gen Z terminology in the Lok Sabha as the government and the Opposition clashed during a debate on a tougher anti-paper leak law.

The remarks came during the Lok Sabha's discussion on legislation aimed at strengthening action against examination paper leaks, a debate that also saw sharp exchanges over student protests, parliamentary language and the government's handling of the issue. Singh accused the Opposition of politicising students' concerns, defended the authorities' response to protests and objected to comments made by Gandhi, calling them unparliamentary.

Taking aim at Gandhi during his speech, Singh said the Leader of Opposition "feared that he was MIA (missing in action). This is as per Gen Z language. He had FOMO (fear of missing out)." He added, "His (Rahul Gandhi's) dream to become PM came out during the last few days."

The exchange followed BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj's use of Gen Z terminology in Parliament a day earlier. Describing the proposed legislation as a "transformative amendment", Swaraj had said, "Modiji clocked it and provided a legislative solution (to the exam leak issue)."

Singh also referred to the Rahul Gandhi-led sit-in protest outside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence on July 21, alleging that Gandhi staged the demonstration because his ambition of becoming Prime Minister had not been realised.

According to Singh, efforts were made to persuade Gandhi to leave because remaining there did not "suit him", but Gandhi allegedly responded that he should be picked up by the police. Singh claimed Gandhi eventually left after police requested him to vacate the area.

As Singh continued his speech, Opposition MPs raised slogans of "We want justice" inside the House.

The minister also objected to remarks made by Gandhi during the debate, saying they violated parliamentary norms. Referring to the use of the word "idiot", Singh said, "Even if someone considers themselves to be an idiot, they cannot use such a word. I am surprised that the Leader of the Opposition is not aware of parliamentary norms." He said Gandhi's clarification that the remark was not directed at any individual raised questions about whether students were being referred to in that manner.

Responding to allegations that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had ordered firing on students, Singh rejected the claim, saying such decisions are taken by the district administration. "We have been MLAs and we know. There was no firing, only tear gas, and the authority to order it rests with the magistrate," he said.

Addressing allegations of excessive force against students, Singhmaintained that the authorities had acted with restraint. "Our members have said that brutality happened against our students. I want to clarify that utmost restraint was maintained to avoid casualties," he said.