No paper leaks: Punjab CM rejects calls to sack education, health ministers
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday rejected the Opposition's demand for the resignation of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains and Health Minister Balbir Singh
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday rejected the Opposition's demand for the resignation of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains and Health Minister Balbir Singh, insisting that there had not been a single paper leak in the state under the Aam Aadmi Party government. The demand comes in the wake of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the NEET paper leak controversy, with the BJP, Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal seeking similar accountability in Punjab over alleged examination irregularities. Read Full Story Responding to the allegations, the Chief Minister distinguished between a paper leak and instances of mass cheating. "There has not been even a single paper leak in Punjab.
We recently received reports of mass cheating at two centres during a pharmacy examination in Faridkot, where candidates were using Bluetooth devices. Within 10 minutes of the examination beginning, we acted, arrested 21 people and registered an FIR," he said. CM Mann alleged that an organised gang was behind the cheating racket, charging candidates between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 7 lakh to facilitate malpractice. "It was a gang behind the mass cheating. In Punjab, there is no cash, no farmaish (recommendation). Only merit gets jobs," he said. His remarks came after Opposition parties argued that Pradhan's resignation had strengthened the case for fixing ministerial accountability in Punjab as well, claiming that multiple recruitment and board examinations had witnessed irregularities in recent years.
OPPOSITION TARGETS AAP GOVT Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring alleged that several examinations, including recruitment tests and the Class 12 English board exam, were hit by paper leaks during the AAP government's tenure. Warring also recalled earlier remarks by senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia, who had said ministers should resign if examination papers were leaked, and argued that the same principle should now apply in Punjab. The BJP also stepped up its attack on the Punjab government, questioning why AAP leaders who had backed protests over the NEET controversy were now silent on the alleged paper leaks in Punjab. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) echoed the demand, with MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal accusing the Punjab government of failing to safeguard the integrity of the state's examination system.
The AAP government, however, has maintained that isolated instances of malpractice were swiftly investigated and action was taken against those responsible. The party has also rejected comparisons with paper leak cases elsewhere in the country. The political row comes as Punjab gears up for next year's Assembly elections, with the issue expected to emerge as a key flashpoint in the run-up to the polls. Ends
The BriefWire