Chandigarh: The opening day of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha’s Monsoon Session witnessed a stormy start on Monday as the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the opposition Congress locked horns over the alleged pharmacy examination paper leak. The confrontation led to noisy protests and a walkout by Congress legislators.
The controversy unfolded during Question Hour when Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa raised the alleged paper leak issue and demanded the resignation of Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains. Bajwa alleged that multiple examination paper leak incidents had occurred during the AAP government’s tenure.
Drawing a comparison with the NEET examination controversy, Bajwa recalled that Bains had earlier demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities. He questioned whether the Punjab minister would now take responsibility and resign over the alleged paper leak in the state.
Congress MLAs, dressed in white attire and wearing black scarves around their necks, staged a protest inside the House and raised slogans against the state government. The uproar disrupted the proceedings, prompting the Speaker to adjourn the House briefly.
Responding to the allegations, Harjot Singh Bains said he had come to the Assembly fully prepared with facts and documents. Challenging the Congress to continue the debate, he remarked, “I have come fully prepared. Don’t run away from the debate,” while accusing opposition MLAs of leaving the House instead of participating in the discussion. He described them as “fugitives from the Vidhan Sabha.”
As the commotion continued, the Speaker appealed to members to maintain order, reminding them that Question Hour was meant to address issues affecting Punjab’s three crore people and should not be disrupted.
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema also criticised the Congress, saying the party itself had “been leaked” and weakened in Punjab. He defended the Bhagwant Singh Mann-led government, claiming it had provided nearly 70,000 government jobs purely on merit and asserting that no examination paper had been leaked in the state.
With slogan-shouting and heated exchanges continuing between the treasury and opposition benches, Congress MLAs eventually walked out of the Assembly in protest.
