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Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains on Friday accused opposition parties of trying to "defame Punjab for their petty politics" over the alleged paper leak issue.
He said that the state police arrested a gang allegedly involved in attempting to carry out cheating practices in Punjab and that further investigation is underway. Speaking to the reporters, Bains said, "Some opposition parties tried to defame Punjab for their petty politics... We held a press conference along with our senior police officers, discussed in detail how a gang operating from Haryana, that might have committed multiple cheating cases in Haryana, tried to attempt those same practices in Punjab once. But under the leadership of the Punjab CM, the state police did a great job and caught them red-handed and arrested them on the spot... Further investigation is underway." On Thursday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs held a protest within the Parliament premises demanding the resignation of Punjab Education Minister Bains over the alleged paper leak in the state. This came after the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) demanded the resignation of Punjab Education Minister Bains, alleging that six paper leaks, including the Punjab Teacher Eligibility Test, Class 12 English exam, and pharmacy officer test, had affected lakhs of aspirants in the state. A day earlier, a clash broke out between the Delhi Police and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers during the protest outside the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) office in the national capital over the alleged paper leak in Punjab. BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj criticised the AAP leadership for exhibiting "double standards" regarding systemic exam flaws. She underlined that the AAP leadership failed to take accountability of the exam irregularities and paper leaks, whereas the central government brought stringent laws after the NEET paper leak row. "The AAP always engages in double standards. I want to ask the AAP government in Punjab: why have they not ensured any accountability regarding the compromise that occurred in the pharmacy recruitment exam in the state? On the one hand, there is PM Narendra Modi's central government--the NDA government--which, following the irregularities associated with the NEET exam, made the anti-paper leak law far more robust and stringent; it increased penalties and introduced provisions for speedy investigations and trials. On the other hand, the AAP and its Punjab government have maintained complete silence, hiding behind technicalities. That is why I want to ask them: why haven't they sought the resignation of their Punjab Education Minister yet? Why have they failed to demonstrate any accountability towards the students whose futures they have jeopardised?" she questioned. (ANI)
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