New Delhi, India (PTI): The Delhi BJP on Thursday staged a protest at the AAP office near Mandi House here, demanding the resignation of the Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains over alleged exam paper leaks in the state.
The protesters, including several party MPs, MLAs and state office bearers, were led by Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra.
They alleged that papers of six exams were leaked, impacting the future of 30 lakh students in the AAP-ruled state and demanded the resignation of Bains and other ministers.
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal recently claimed that no paper leaks had taken place in Punjab during the party's tenure. He, however, said that in one examination, students at two centres attempted to cheat using digital pens but were immediately caught and the paper was not leaked.
BJP MPs Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, Yogender Chandolia, Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Bansuri Swaraj and Swati Maliwal, along with state general secretaries Vishnu Mittal, Yogita Singh, Mohanlal Gihara, took part in the protest.
The BJP workers and leaders courted arrest during the protest. Police took them to Mandir Marg police station, from where they were released after about an hour, according to a Delhi BJP statement.
The AAP had supported the recent Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest held at Jantar Mantar here, which led to the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over NEET paper leak.
Addressing the protesters, Malhotra accused the AAP of adopting "double standards" on the issue of paper leaks.
"When the issue of paper leaks arose at the national level, AAP was the first to block roads, create disruptions, and demand the resignation of the Union education minister," he said.
He claimed that papers of the Punjab Teacher Eligibility Test (PTET), class 12 English examination paper, pharmacy officer recruitment examination and PSSSB recruitment examination were leaked in the state.
"Why does AAP, which demands morality from the Centre, fall silent when it comes to Punjab? Arvind Kejriwal had said that if a paper leak occurred, the concerned minister would be made to resign. So when will the Punjab education minister resign?" he said.
He accused the AAP of doing politics over paper leaks in Delhi while protecting Bains in Punjab.
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
