Republic Grills AAP's Manish Sisodia Over Party's Silence on Jharkhand Paper Leaks, Student Protests

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which was among the most vocal critics of the Centre during the NEET paper leak controversy and repeatedly demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, came under sharp scrutiny when senior leader and former Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia was questioned by Republic TV over the party's silence on the ongoing paper leak protests in Jharkhand.

During an interaction with Republic TV's Harsh Trivedi, Sisodia was repeatedly asked whether AAP would raise its voice for students protesting in Jharkhand over alleged paper leaks and examination irregularities. Students in Ranchi have been protesting over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, demanding transparency and action against those responsible.

Instead of directly answering the question, Sisodia shifted the discussion to ethanol and asked whether Republic TV would also raise that issue. After Republic assured him that it would cover the ethanol issue as well, Sisodia remarked that if Republic TV conducted a 30-minute programme on ethanol, AAP would be willing to extend its support to the students protesting in Jharkhand.

'Will AAP Stand With Jharkhand's Students?'

Republic questioned the remark, asking, "Sir, what kind of strange condition is it that you will only support the students of Jharkhand if we do a show on ethanol?" The channel then sought a direct answer on whether AAP would stand with the protesting students.

As the exchange intensified, Republic asked whether the children of Punjab and Jharkhand were not "AAP's children". Sisodia responded by asking whether the children of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana were not AAP's children. Republic clarified that it was speaking for students across the country and asked whether AAP would support every student affected by paper leaks, irrespective of the state.

Sisodia Denies Punjab Leak, Eventually Mentions Jharkhand

When questioned about Punjab, Sisodia denied that any paper leak had taken place there and accused Republic of making false claims. Republic responded by pointing out that the issue had been raised in the Rajya Sabha by Swati Maliwal. Sisodia replied that "Swati Maliwal doesn't run the government of Punjab."

Pressed again on Jharkhand, Sisodia initially said AAP would visit "Rajasthan, Gujarat and every place where BJP has leaked the papers." When Republic pointed out that he had still not mentioned Jharkhand, Sisodia eventually said the party would also go there and support students wherever "BJP and its middlemen are together leaking papers."

Republic then highlighted that Jharkhand is not governed by the BJP and again asked whether AAP would support the students protesting there. Sisodia once more diverted the discussion, accusing Republic of focusing only on Jharkhand. Republic maintained that it has consistently reported on paper leak controversies across the country, including the NEET row, and was simply seeking a clear answer on whether AAP would stand with the protesting students in Jharkhand.

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