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'No paper leaked in Punjab': CM Mann

Mohali (Punjab) [भारत]July 26 (ANI): Claiming there has been no paper leak under the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday lashed out at the opposition parties for alleging "multiple paper leaks" in the state. Mann also said that 21 people have been arrested in connection with a counterfeiting racket. "It has been 4.5 years since the government was formed. Not even a single paper has been leaked in Punjab. We had received reports of cheating from two places. They were sending out the papers by digitally scanning them with Bluetooth pens. They were getting the answers they wanted from outside. 10 minutes after the paper started, the students who were cheating inside were also caught, and those who were getting the papers done from outside, who were charging Rs 3-5 lakh for a paper, were also caught. A total of 21 people were caught and put in jail...", CM Mann told reporters here.

The comments come in the wake of Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation as Education Minister after weeks of protests led by the cockroach Janata Party over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG exam and paper leak controversy. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has been brought in place of Pradhan.

Opposition demands resignation of Education Minister

Earlier today, Delhi Cabinet Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa listed several alleged paper leaks reported in Punjab and accused AAP of doing "politics in the name of children". "Manish Sisodia himself had said during a protest on July 18 that if the paper is leaked there, the minister will be removed. The very next day, on the 19th, the Pharmacy paper is leaked there (in Punjab). It is believed that this paper was sold outside for lakhs of rupees... Earlier, in 2023, the English paper was leaked, and in 2025, the SSSB paper was leaked. In that case too, It was revealed that the paper was being sold for lakhs of rupees. But now this latest issue has come to light, and he (Manish Sisodia) has said that he will take resignation. When it came to resignation, (Punjab Education Minister) Harjot Singh Bains said that this is not my department...", he told ANI.

He asked in a post on X, "Today the whole country is questioning the Aam Aadmi Party, which does politics by placing guns on the shoulders of innocent children - when will the Education Minister of Punjab resign? Just yesterday Manish Sisodia ji was making false promises in the name of morality, but today he is silent on the leaky system of Punjab. Why?"

'AAP leaders have now gone into hiding': Sirsa

Sirsa said AAP leader Manish Sisodia had earlier said that if the paper is leaked, the minister concerned should resign. "Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia was shouting that if our paper is leaked, we will get the minister to resign. Yesterday and the day before yesterday, when Cockroach Janata Party President Abhijit Dipke was asked whether there should be resignation on Punjab Paper leak? He said, of course, there should be resignation on Punjab Paper leak as well," Sirsa said.

He alleged that despite those statements, AAP has not sought the resignation of Punjab Education Minister Harjot Bains. "Today, when it came to Harjot Bains's resignation, they have gone and hid in bills. This clearly shows that they can go to any extent to gain power, even if it means harming children, but when it comes to getting justice for children, they will never do so. Today their real face has been exposed," he alleged.

Congress and Akali Dal also demanded resignation

Earlier on Saturday, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Wadding also demanded the immediate resignation of Bains, saying, "Multiple paper leaks, zero accountability! How long will the students of Punjab continue to suffer?" "The first victory belongs to the youth of India. Dharmendra Pradhan has finally been held accountable and forced to resign from the post of Union Education Minister. But the fight for justice is not over yet. Now it is Punjab's turn. Multiple paper leaks, zero accountability! How long will the students of Punjab continue to suffer? @harjotbains should immediately resign and take responsibility for endangering the future of Punjab's youth. The youth of India have shown that when they unite, they can defeat even the most powerful "Can be held accountable for their failures. This fight for justice will continue. @AAPPunjab," he said.

The Congress MP from Ludhiana also alleged that papers of several exams, including recruitment exams and Class 12 English exam, were leaked during the tenure of the AAP government. Vading also reminded Sisodia of his earlier statements that ministers should resign if exam papers were leaked.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) also on Saturday demanded the resignation of Punjab Education Minister Bains, alleging that six paper leaks, including Punjab Teacher Eligibility Test, Class 12 English exam and Pharmacy Officer exam, have affected lakhs of candidates in the state. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)