Punjab Congress MPs staged a protest outside Parliament on Monday, seeking the resignation of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over alleged paper leaks in the state. They also protested against police action against sanitation workers who were demonstrating in Barnala.
The Congress has alleged that at least four exam papers were leaked under the AAP government in Punjab. The state government, however, has rejected the allegations.
Congress MP Amar Singh also criticised the AAP government over the police action against sanitation workers in Barnala. The workers were protesting for higher salaries and regular employment contracts. Following the incident, the Punjab government suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Satbir Singh Bains.
Amar Singh said four to five paper leaks had taken place in Punjab, but Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann had refused to accept the allegations. He also claimed that sanitation workers, including women, were beaten during the police action. He demanded cases against the police personnel involved and called for the Chief Minister's resignation.
Earlier, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) had also sought the resignation of Punjab Education Minister Bains. The party alleged that six paper leaks, including those involving the Punjab Teacher Eligibility Test, Class 12 English examination and pharmacy officer test, had affected lakhs of candidates in the state.
Meanwhile, Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh rejected the allegations and said there had been no paper leaks under the AAP government. He maintained that the government had fulfilled its promises to the people.
Balbir Singh said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had made it clear that no examination paper had been leaked in the last four-and-a-half years. He dismissed the opposition's claims as politically motivated misinformation and said the government had delivered on its commitments. He also said the opposition was making baseless allegations because it had nothing else to raise against the government.
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