Congress leaders and workers today staged a protest at Congress Bhawan, Chandigarh, against repeated paper leaks across the country and the alleged police brutality on peacefully protesting students in Delhi. The protest also witnessed a strong response to Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon, who had come to Congress Bhawan, with Congress leaders countering his allegations and questioning the BJP over repeated examination irregularities.
The Congress leaders demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, holding them accountable for repeated paper leaks and the failure to protect the interests of students.
Addressing the gathering, the Congress leaders said there had been repeated paper leaks in competitive examinations and a complete failure in the management of the education system. They also alleged that students had suffered due to errors in CBSE evaluation while the government remained indifferent to their concerns.
The leaders condemned the alleged use of force against students protesting peacefully in Delhi, saying that instead of taking action against those responsible for the paper leaks, the BJP government had resorted to suppressing students’ voices. They accused the Union Government of crushing democratic dissent rather than addressing the concerns of the youth.
The Congress leaders also questioned the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab for demanding accountability from the Centre while shielding its own Education Minister despite repeated paper leaks in the state. They pointed out that major examination irregularities, including the Pharmacist Recruitment Examination and the Punjab School Education Board Class XII English examination, had taken place under the Bhagwant Mann government, yet no meaningful accountability had been fixed.
They said both the BJP at the Centre and the AAP government in Punjab had failed the country’s youth by allowing repeated examination irregularities and denying deserving students a fair opportunity.Senior Congress leaders who participated in the protest included DCC Mohali President Kamal Kishore Sharma, Ranjit Singh, Harsimran Singh, Aman Sidhu, Kanwarbir Singh (Ruby Sidhu), Jung Bahadur Singh, Rana Baljit Singh, Gyan Singh, former MLA Vijay Tinku, Manjeet Singh, Happy Khera, Amit Bawa, and Ravinder Ruby Gill, along with a large number of Congress workers and party supporters.