NEW DELHI: The Delhi BJP on July 30 staged a protest outside the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) office at Canning Lane, demanding the dismissal of Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains over examination paper leak incidents in the state and accusing the party of adopting “double standards” on the issue.
Several senior BJP leaders, including State president Harsh Malhotra, MPs Yogendra Chandolia, Kamaljeet Sehrawat and Bansuri Swaraj, as well as Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, joined the demonstration along with office-bearers and workers from the BJP Yuva Morcha, OBC Morcha and Purvanchal Morcha.
Addressing the protesters, Harsh Malhotra alleged that AAP had demanded accountability from the Centre over paper leaks but had remained silent over similar incidents in Punjab.
“When the issue of paper leaks arose at the national level, AAP demanded the resignation of the Union Education Minister and spoke of morality and accountability. But after multiple alleged paper leaks in Punjab, including the Punjab Teacher Eligibility Test, the Class XII English examination and recruitment examinations, the party has chosen to remain silent,” he claimed.
Moreover, BJP Lok Sabha MP Harsh Malhotra warned the AAP administration that protests would escalate beyond the national capital if immediate political accountability is not fixed, citing AAP leader Manish Sisodia’s comment stating that the Punjab State government would demand the resignation of the State Education Minister in case of an exam discrepancy.
“BJP workers have come to issue a warning to Kejriwal; we are here to remind everyone that Manish Sisodia had stated at Jantar Mantar that if a paper leak occurred in Punjab, they would demand the resignation of Punjab’s Education Minister. God has answered that call sooner than expected. Prior to the recent pharmaceutical exam paper leak in Punjab, the Class 12 English paper had also been leaked, yet Arvind Kejriwal has taken no action regarding it to this day,” he said.
“Today, we have come to warn Arvind Kejriwal that he must immediately secure the resignation of Punjab’s Education Minister. We are here to convey that if the resignation does not happen, this agitation will extend from Delhi to Punjab,” he added.
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.
The BJP protesters, including several party MPs, MLAs and state office bearers, alleged that papers of six exams were leaked, impacting the future of 30 lakh students in the state.
