- BJP demands Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains's resignation over alleged paper leaks
- BJP alleges multiple paper leaks and cheating in Punjab exams and recruitment tests
- Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann denies any paper leaks during AAP's 4.5-year tenure
After Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation as education minister, the BJP and AAP have opened a fresh front over an alleged paper leak in Punjab. The BJP has started demanding Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains' resignation. However, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has denied any paper leak during his tenure.
"When is the education minister of Punjab resigning? When will Arvind Kejriwal ask for resignation of Punjab's education minister for morality," asked BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari.
He alleged paper leaks in PSEB Class 12 English Board Examination, Punjab State Teacher Eligibility Test (PSTET), and Agriculture Development Officer (ADO) Examination, besides irregularities in Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board (PSSSB) Group-B and Combined recruitment.
He also alleged a large-scale cheating in Naib Tehsildar and Pharmacy Officer recruitment tests, besides fake names being found in the Excise and Taxation Inspection merit list.
Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja also alleged six major paper leaks over the past four years.
"When will Punjab Education Minister Harjot Bains resign? Four years. 6 major paper leaks. Countless dreams shattered. Yet no accountability. Punjab's students deserve answers. They deserve accountability. They deserve a better future," he alleged.
'No Paper Leaks, My Guarantee'
The AAP called these "fake news."
Bhagwant Mann ruled out any paper leak over the last four and a half years, though he admitted that cheating attempts were made during exams at two places.
"There is no single paper leak in Punjab in the past 4.5 years. I assure you that there will be no paper leaks in Punjab. This is my guarantee. We got cheating reports from two places, but no single paper leak happened in Punjab. We acted on cheating incidents within 10 mins only. We acted against cheating gangs," he said.
Another AAP Punjab leader, Baltej Pannu, said these were false allegations. In one of the cheating incidents, he said, candidates were caught using gadgets and faced action. But the paper did not get leaked, he asserted.
"By deliberately calling this a paper leak, the BJP and the Congress are trying to divert attention from issues during their tenure. Over 90 papers were leaked during the BJP government's tenure at the Centre. They are now trying to escape by blaming others, but the public knows the truth," he added.
The political flashpoint erupted after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as the Union Education Minister after a month-long protest in the heart of the capital over the NEET paper leak.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has been given the charge of the Education Ministry.
