By Chandan Singh | Page 3 News Worldwide | New Delhi
New Delhi: Delhi BJP President Harsh Malhotra on Sunday launched a sharp attack on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of attempting to shield the Punjab government by dismissing allegations of examination paper leaks only after weeks of public debate.
Referring to reports and allegations surrounding the alleged leak of the Punjab Pharmacist examination paper, Malhotra questioned the timing of the AAP’s response. “If no Pharmacist exam paper or any other examination paper was leaked in Punjab, why did it take them 15 to 18 days to deny the allegations? Clearly, this is an afterthought by Arvind Kejriwal to save his government, and the people understand it very well,” he said.
Malhotra described Kejriwal’s assertion that no examination paper had been leaked in Punjab as “the height of shamelessness,” claiming that the issue had dominated public discourse for over two weeks. He also referred to allegations that examination papers had been leaked on earlier occasions and cited media reports showing students protesting across Punjab, with some demonstrations witnessing police action.
According to the BJP leader, students in Punjab have been demanding the resignation of the state’s Education Minister, Harjot Singh Bains, over the controversy. He alleged that while AAP leaders had been vocal over issues in Delhi, they had remained silent on demands emerging from Punjab.
Malhotra further claimed that after a student protest at Jantar Mantar concluded last week, students and journalists questioned protest leaders on why similar demonstrations were not being organised in Punjab and Karnataka over alleged examination paper leaks.
He alleged that Kejriwal’s subsequent denial was driven by political pressure rather than facts, asserting that the delayed response had only intensified public suspicion. “The people understand very well why the denial came only after more than two weeks,” Malhotra said, maintaining that the Punjab government owed students and the public a transparent explanation.
