‘Paper leak’ heat against Punjab CM Mann and education minister Bains intensifies, Kejriwal cancels visit

The issue of alleged paper leak gained momentum after Punjab Police dismantled a sophisticated, inter-state cheating racket operating during the recently held pharmacy officers’ recruitment examination, conducted by Baba Farid University of Health Sciences on July 19. Candidates used pen cameras to share photographs of the question paper and received real-time dictation of answers during the exam through wireless devices.

The demand for Bains’ resignation gained momentum after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as the Union education minister on Saturday over the NEET paper leak issue following a sustained protest by the youth at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.

On Monday, Kejriwal denied any paper leak in Punjab and said the BJP was trying to tarnish the border state’s transformation from 27th to number one in the country’s education rankings under the AAP government. He said that not a single paper leak took place during 10 years of the AAP government in Delhi or in nearly five years of its government in Punjab, while it has been a recurring feature in BJP-ruled states. He asserted that, with no real issue to raise against the Punjab government, the Opposition was resorting to lies.

In the evening Mann called on Kejriwal, with AAP leaders, privy to the developments, claiming that the meeting was planned in advance to review organisational matters and finalise the AAP chief’s Punjab tour.

Kejriwal was scheduled to participate in the “Ek Sham Shiv Ke Naam” programmes in Patiala, Ropar and Mohali on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, respectively as part of the party’s Hindu outreach campaign. A senior party leader said, “Kejriwal is preoccupied. Only CM will attend the Shiv Sandhya programmes now.”

CM Mann, meanwhile, attended the Parliament on Tuesday where Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, who earlier this year jumped ship to BJP from AAP, led a protest against Kejriwal and Punjab government alleging six major paper leaks in state in five years. She also called the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) the “B team” of the AAP, claiming it has been created by Kejriwal’s associates.

Back in Punjab, the Opposition parties continued to attack the AAP government.

Former minister and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia demanded a high court-monitored probe into all alleged examination paper leak cases in Punjab. Majithia alleged that at least six major paper leak incidents had taken place under the AAP rule and cited a March 13, 2023 social media post by CM, alleging it acknowledged the leak of the Punjab State Teacher Eligibility Test (PSTET) paper.

He said the Punjab and Haryana High Court had to intervene and order corrective measures after arbitrary allocation of 30 interview marks in the Punjab State Rural Livelihood Mission recruitment. The high court, he said, had also stayed the excise inspector recruitment process over alleged large-scale irregularities. He also referred to the recent pharmacy officer recruitment examination, and demanded the resignation of Mann, Bains and Health Minister Balbir Singh, holding them accountable for the alleged paper leak incidents.

Punjab Youth Congress workers staged a protest outside Bains’ residence of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains in Ropar demanding his resignation. Led by Punjab Youth Congress chief Shubham Sharma, protesters also clashed with police and broke through barricades before reaching the minister’s residence where they staged a sit-in and smeared black paint on the signboard outside the residence as a mark of protest.

As the minister was not present, the tehsildar of Anandpur Sahib accepted a memorandum from the protesters. In the memorandum, the Youth Congress demanded Bains’ resignation and warned that if he failed to step down within five days, the organisation would gherao his office in Chandigarh and burn his and Punjab government’s effigies at district headquarters across the state.

Punjab Congress chief president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring has already said that accountability needs to be fixed and that the education minister’s resignation is non-negotiable. Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa sought an independent probe and accountability from the government.

BJP leader and former Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu said that the standard of accountability that the Centre applied over the NEET controversy should be applicable in Punjab too.

BJP’s Delhi unit chief Harsh Malhotra termed Kejriwal’s claim\ of no paper leak in Punjab as :the height of shamelessness”. “Students in Punjab have been continuously demanding the resignation of the state education minister. However, while continuously provoking and attempting to turn the student movement in Delhi violent, Kejriwal remains indifferent to the demand for his own minister’s resignation,” he added.

Just days ago, Kejriwal and Mann had criticised the Centre over the handling of the NEET paper leak issue and police action against protesting students in Delhi. The pharmacy officer recruitment controversy has now given the Opposition a handle to bash AAP and accuse the party of adopting double standards.