New Delhi, July 30 (IANS) BJP leaders and workers on Thursday staged a protest outside the AAP’s office in the national Capital, demanding the resignation of Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains over alleged exam paper leaks in the state.
The Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann came under fire after the Punjab Police reportedly busted an inter-state cheating racket during the July 19 pharmacy officer recruitment examination, with the BJP demanding accountability from the AAP regime.
Speaking to IANS, BJP MP Yogender Chandolia accused the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP of “having a hand in creating the ruckus” during the Cockroach Janta Party-led agitation at the national Capital’s Jantar Mantar.
He further accused the Punjab government of not taking any measures despite multiple paper leaks in the state. “It cannot go on like this,” he added.
BJP worker Irfan Salmani, who took part in the protest, said: “We have gathered here to demand the resignation of the Punjab Education Minister as few goons of Arvind Kejriwal were sitting at Jantar Mantar and indulged in stone pelting while demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan which he (latter) tendered. But will Kejriwal now ask the Punjab Education Minister to resign as well since repeated paper leak cases are being reported (from the state).”
“We don’t want to create a Jantar Mantar (kind of a situation), we are decent workers of the BJP and are, therefore, demanding his resignation through a decent demonstration,” he told IANS.
A female party worker added: “On our part, as soon as the NEET paper leak came into light. an FIR was registered, accused were arrested and they are still in jail. The government even conducted a successful re-examination within one month. But they (AAP) should look within themselves; multiple paper leaks have been reported under Harjot Singh’s tenure, so why are they not taking accountability?”
Referring to Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, a senior party worker said: “When the country’s Education Minister can resign on moral grounds…and Kejriwal had himself said that such resignations should happen (to check accountability), then despite the AAP being in power in Punjab, why is he not seeking the resignation of the Education Minister there?
He called the AAP’s approach as “double standards”.
–IANS
cg/rad