Chandigarh: The political confrontation over examination irregularities has intensified in Punjab, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanding the resignation of Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, while Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has firmly denied allegations of paper leaks during the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s tenure.
The fresh political exchange comes in the wake of the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, following the controversy surrounding the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.
Addressing the issue, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari questioned why the Punjab Education Minister had not stepped down, alleging that multiple recruitment and examination processes in the state had witnessed irregularities. He claimed that examinations, including the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) Class 12 English paper, Punjab State Teacher Eligibility Test (PSTET) and the Agriculture Development Officer (ADO) recruitment test, were marred by serious lapses.
The BJP also alleged irregularities in recruitment conducted by the Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board (PSSSB), besides claiming that incidents of large-scale cheating and discrepancies in merit lists had affected recruitment for posts such as Naib Tehsildar, Pharmacy Officer and Excise and Taxation Inspector.
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring also targeted the state government, alleging that several major paper leak incidents had taken place over the past four years. He questioned the accountability of the Education Department and said students deserved transparency and answers regarding the alleged irregularities.
Rejecting the allegations, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann maintained that no examination paper had been leaked in Punjab during the last four-and-a-half years of his government’s tenure. He acknowledged that authorities had detected isolated attempts at cheating during examinations but insisted that these incidents did not amount to paper leaks.
The Chief Minister said the state administration had acted swiftly whenever cheating attempts were reported, claiming that action was initiated within minutes against those involved. He reiterated that the Punjab government remained committed to conducting fair and transparent examinations and asserted that strict measures had been implemented to curb malpractice.
Supporting the government’s stand, AAP leader Baltej Pannu dismissed the allegations as politically motivated. He stated that in one of the reported incidents, candidates were caught using electronic gadgets to cheat and appropriate legal action was taken immediately. According to him, describing such incidents as paper leaks was misleading.
Pannu further accused the BJP and the Congress of attempting to divert public attention from examination controversies that occurred during their own tenures. He alleged that several paper leak cases had surfaced under previous governments and claimed the opposition was now trying to shift the focus by levelling accusations against the Punjab government.
The political debate has gained momentum following the change in leadership at the Union Ministry of Education, with Pralhad Joshi taking charge after Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.
As accusations and counter-allegations continue, the issue has emerged as a major political flashpoint in Punjab, with the ruling AAP defending its record on examination transparency while the opposition presses for greater accountability over alleged irregularities.
