Charanjit Singh Channi Faridkot rally: Former Punjab CM leads dharna against AAP govt over Pharmacy officer exam row
Opposition parties have stepped up their attack on the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government in Punjab, alleging a series of examination paper leaks over the past
Opposition parties have stepped up their attack on the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government in Punjab, alleging a series of examination paper leaks over the past four-and-a-half years after a cheating racket was uncovered in the Pharmacy Officer recruitment examination. Amid the row, Charanjit Singh Channi led a Congress dharna outside Baba Farid University in Faridkot on Wednesday, protesting against the AAP government over the alleged irregularities in the Pharmacy Officer recruitment exam, according to multiple media reports. Congress MP Channi, who represents Jalandhar and previously served as Punjab's chief minister, did not attend Rahul Gandhi's address in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, choosing instead to participate in a public gathering in Faridkot. Among the seven Congress MPs from Punjab, Channi was the sole member who was not present in the House during Gandhi's speech. Despite reports that Amritsar MP Gurjit Singh Aujla, who heads the Congress parliamentary group, had circulated a WhatsApp message asking all party MPs to attend Rahul Gandhi's speech in the Lok Sabha, Channi stayed away.
The Faridkot protest was attended by several leaders seen as close to Channi, including former MLA Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon, along with a large number of Congress workers, in what was viewed as a show of strength for the former chief minister. Channi-Warring in tussle? Channi has reportedly been at odds with Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, with the two leaders locked in a prolonged power struggle within the state unit. While Raja Warring led a demonstration by Punjab Congress MPs outside Parliament on Wednesday, demanding the resignation of Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains over the exam controversy, Channi organised and led a separate protest in Faridkot against the AAP government. The Congress leadership has reportedly been attempting to reconcile differences between Channi and Warring ahead of the Assembly elections. As part of those efforts, poll strategist Naresh Arora arranged a closed-door meeting between the two leaders in Delhi on Tuesday, reported NDTV.
However, the separate protests led by Channi and Warring the following day suggested that their differences remain unresolved. Punjab CM Mann reacts Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has rejected the Opposition's allegations, asserting that not a single examination paper has been leaked in Punjab since the AAP came to power, according to PTI. The AAP also accused the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and BJP of attempting to build a false narrative on the issue, claiming the Opposition lacks any genuine grounds to target the Mann government. Also Read | Shashi Tharoor questions anti-paper leak Bill in Lok Sabha After facing sustained criticism from the Opposition over the issue, Punjab Mann on July 28 maintained that no examination paper had been leaked in the state during the AAP government's four-and-a-half-year tenure. "Our government has completed four-and-a-half years in office, and not a single exam paper has been leaked during this period," Mann claimed. He also accused the BJP, Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) of attempting to "tarnish the reputation of Punjab through false paper leak allegations".
The BriefWire