BJP Demands Punjab Education Minister's Resignation Over Exam Row, Accuses AAP Of Double Standards

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) intensified its demand for the resignation of Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains over alleged exam irregularities in the state. The political offensive follows the recent resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who stepped down amid nationwide protests concerning NEET-UG discrepancies.

BJP leaders accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of applying double standards on ministerial accountability. The opposition party argued that the same yardstick used to evaluate the Union minister must apply to Punjab’s leadership. The current controversy centres on recruitment exams in the border state.

BJP Attacks AAP Leadership

Amit Malviya, head of the BJP information technology cell, spearheaded the digital campaign against the AAP government. He questioned the Punjab minister's continuation in office amid the ongoing exam scandal.

"One question that now deserves a clear answer: When is Punjab’s Education Minister going to resign?" Malviya wrote on X. He said those demanding accountability elsewhere "cannot remain silent when serious questions are being raised over Punjab’s education system." He argued that accountability "cannot be applied selectively" and "cannot depend on which party is in power. It must be uniform, principled and free from political convenience."

Malviya also targeted AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal.

"Perhaps Arvind Kejriwal should announce the Punjab Education Minister’s resignation and appoint Sonam Wangchuk in his place. If he truly believes Mr Wangchuk has the answers to fixing India’s education system, this would be the perfect opportunity to let him begin with Punjab," Malviya said.

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla shared a video of Bains on X, sharply criticising his refusal to step down.

"This shameless clown is putting Dhurandhar tracks and brazening it out rather than resigning for the paper leaks in Punjab. Koi sharm bachi hai ?" Poonawalla wrote.

Mann Denies Paper Leaks

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann categorically rejected the opposition claims. He denied that any examination paper had leaked during his administration's four-and-a-half-year tenure.

Mann said authorities instead busted an organised cheating syndicate. Candidates allegedly used Bluetooth-enabled digital pens to send question papers to external accomplices, who then transmitted the answers back inside. He said invigilators caught the offending candidates within minutes of the exam starting.

Police arrested 21 people in connection with the sophisticated racket. The external operators reportedly charged candidates between ₹3 lakh and ₹5 lakh to facilitate the malpractice. Mann said the episode was a case of organised cheating, not a structural paper leak.