Paper leaks back into limelight as BJP, Congress target ‘shameless’ Punjab education minister | Today’s news
Paper leaks across India are in the spotlight again, with opposition parties in Punjab demanding the resignation of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains over alleged exam paper leaks, reports HT.
The row comes after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned following more than a month of student protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has now turned its attention to the alleged paper leak cases in Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-ruled Punjab.
However, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann dismissed the allegations and said that there was no paper leak in any competitive test during the tenure of the AAP government.
Opposition targets AAP over alleged paper leaks
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) claims that there have been six paper leaks during the AAP rule in Punjab. These reportedly include Punjab Teacher Eligibility Test (PTET), Class 12 English Test, Naib tehsildar Recruitment Test, Agriculture Development Officer Exam, Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board (PSSSB) Exams and Pharmacist Recruitment Test. According to the opposition, the alleged leaks affected lakhs of applicants across the state.
Accusing the AAP leadership of hypocrisy, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Sunday said, “Manish Sisodia and Arvind Kejriwal have said they will resign if there is a paper leak under their government. There are reportedly six to seven paper leaks in Punjab today.” He also called Harjot Singh Bains “shameless” over the allegations.
Union minister and BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu also demanded Bains’ resignation, saying the government had “leaked and sold papers”. He further criticized the AAP government over employment issues, saying sanitation workers were neither regularized nor given adequate jobs.
Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon also accused AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal of raising the paper leak issue during the Jantar Mantar protests while remaining silent on the allegations in Punjab.
Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also joined the BJP and SAD in demanding Bains’ resignation.
Bhagwant Mann denies the allegations
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann denied all the allegations and claimed that there was no paper leak in Punjab during the four-and-a-half-year rule of the AAP government.
However, he admitted to two counts of cheating in the investigation, saying that all the accused were arrested. Mann said 21 people have been arrested in connection with an interstate fraud that allegedly took place during a recent pharmacist exam.
AAP continues to welcome Pradhan’s resignation
Despite criticism in Punjab, AAP continues to celebrate Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. Arvind Kejriwal described it as a “big victory for democracy”.
In his speech on Sunday, Bhagwant Mann praised the protesting students, saying, “Gen Z has bright insights and energy, and we just need to ensure that this potential is channeled constructively.”
After Pradhan’s resignation, union minister Pralhad Joshi was made the education minister.
