'Multiple Paper Leaks, Zero Accountability!': Cong, BJP & SAD Demand Punjab Education Minister Bains' Resignation

Chandigarh: Opposition parties in Punjab have intensified their attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, demanding the immediate resignation of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains over alleged examination paper leaks. Congress, BJP, and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders have accused the state government of failing to ensure the integrity of competitive exams, contrasting it with the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. 

Students have come out in large numbers to protest against the recent paper leaks in the state and criticised Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for not sacking the Education Minister. 

Congress Demands Punjab Education Minister's Resignation

Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, referred to Pradhan’s resignation and called for similar accountability in Punjab.

“The fight for justice is not over. Now it’s Punjab’s turn. Multiple Paper Leaks, Zero accountability! How long will Punjab’s students continue to suffer?,” he wrote in a post on X.

Warring urged Bains to “resign immediately and take responsibility for putting the future of Punjab’s youth at risk.” He praised student activism while pressing for continued pressure on the government.

BJP Highlights 'Hypocrisy' & Multiple Incidents of Paper Leaks

BJP leaders pointed to a series of alleged leaks in Punjab, including the Pharmacy exam on July 19 and earlier incidents in 2023 and 2025. Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa referenced AAP leader Manish Sisodia’s own past statements on accountability during protests.

"The resignation should come from the minister whose department oversaw the leaked exam. But this reveals the true face of the AAP," he said.

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla sharply criticised the AAP leadership: "Dharmendra Pradhan has already resigned. He demonstrated the highest standards of accountability and ethics, but Manish Sisodia and Arvind Kejriwal, who had said that if there was a paper leak at their end, they would resign, today 6 to 7 paper leaks have occurred in Punjab. Their shameless Chief Minister and even more shameless Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains say that we caught the paper leak... If a paper leak happens at your end, it's a miracle, and if it happens elsewhere, the Education Minister is guilty?”

He also accused the Congress of hypocrisy, noting alleged paper leaks in states (Karnataka, Kerala, and Himachal Pradesh) ruled by the party where resignation demands were absent.

‘Turned Blind Eye’: SAD Questions AAP Priorities

Earlier this week, while the CJP protests were going on at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal targeted Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal for focusing on the Delhi protests while ignoring issues at home.

“How unfortunate that while Arvind Kejriwal and guru dokhi Bhagwant Mann are protesting in Delhi, they’ve turned a blind eye to paper leaks in #Punjab! My direct question and popular suggestion to Mr. Outsider CM ~ why not make Sonam Wangchuk Punjab’s education minister? Because clearly your Harjot Bains has scored a big ZERO in this test!,” she said.

Badal highlighted the irony of AAP’s participation in the youth-led “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP) protests in Delhi over national exam controversies, including NEET-UG, while facing similar allegations in Punjab.

Punjab Paper Leak Allegations

The latest controversy stems from a Group-B recruitment examination conducted in December 2025 for posts such as senior assistants, naib tehsildars, and treasury officers. Results declared in January 2026 sparked suspicions when multiple toppers were from Bathinda district. The matter has been referred to the Vigilance Bureau for investigation.

Opposition parties argue these incidents undermine merit-based recruitment in a state grappling with high unemployment, where government jobs are highly competitive. They contrast this with the AAP government’s claims of providing over 67,000 jobs since 2022 on the basis of merit.

AAP's Firm Denial

The AAP government has strongly rejected the allegations of systemic paper leaks. Responding to the allegations, AAP leader Manish Sisodia said, “There was no paper leak in Punjab. In a university in Punjab, some students brought a Bluetooth-enabled smart pen into a classroom with the intention of cheating. The university administration immediately seized it and took police action against them... They should be ashamed that they are calling a failed attempt by one child to cheat a paper leak.”

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann reiterated: “It has been 4.5 years since the government was formed. Not a single paper has leaked in Punjab. We had received reports of cheating from two places... 21 people were caught in total and put in jail.”

CJP Silent on Punjab Paper Leaks

The CJP protesters, vocal on national issues like NEET paper leaks and demanding ministerial resignations, have so far remained silent on the Punjab cases. 

The escalating political row underscores growing concerns over examination integrity and its impact on students’ futures in Punjab, with opposition parties framing it as a test of the AAP government’s governance promises.