Chandigarh: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia on Sunday dismissed reports of an alleged paper leak in Punjab, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress of spreading misinformation to mislead the public.
Addressing the media, Sisodia claimed that false narratives were being circulated on social media by supporters of the two opposition parties, alleging irregularities in an examination conducted in the state. He asserted that no paper leak had taken place and urged both parties to refrain from what he described as an attempt to create unnecessary panic.
The former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister said the incident being referred to involved a few students at a university in Punjab who allegedly attempted to cheat during an examination using a Bluetooth-enabled smart pen. According to him, the university authorities acted swiftly by confiscating the device and initiating legal action against the students involved.
Sisodia maintained that the prompt response by the institution prevented any malpractice from affecting the examination process. He argued that portraying an isolated attempt to cheat as a full-fledged paper leak was misleading and factually incorrect.
Launching a political attack on the BJP and Congress, the AAP leader alleged that both parties were deliberately spreading false information for political gains. He said such claims reflected a lack of understanding of the education system and accused the opposition of trying to sensationalise an incident that was promptly handled by the university administration.
Referring to recent controversies surrounding examination irregularities in other parts of the country, Sisodia also took a swipe at the opposition, saying those responsible for larger failures in the education sector had no moral authority to level allegations against Punjab.
The remarks come amid heightened political debate over examination integrity following several high-profile paper leak cases across the country. While the opposition has questioned the handling of educational institutions, the AAP has maintained that Punjab’s examination system remains secure and that the recent university incident was an isolated case of attempted cheating rather than an organised paper leak.
The controversy has triggered fresh political sparring, with both sides expected to continue exchanging charges over the issue in the coming days.
