Chandigarh, July 27 (IANS) The Punjab BJP on Monday accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of deceiving the people by falsely claiming transparency and honesty while repeatedly failing to protect the integrity of government recruitment examinations.

State General Secretary Anil Sarin told the media here that 7,000 candidates appeared for 454 posts in the Punjab Pharmacy Officer Recruitment Examination on July 19, and the paper leaked.

“This is not an isolated case but part of a systematic failure,” he said.

He explained that the question paper was scanned inside the examination centre, transmitted outside, solved, and the answers relayed back to candidates via Bluetooth devices, exposing serious security lapses.

Sarin said the Registrar himself had acknowledged that authorities had prior intelligence about the possible use of such electronic devices. Despite this, the government failed to install adequate jammers or take preventive measures, raising serious questions about its intent and competence.

He alleged this was the sixth examination and recruitment controversy under the AAP government, citing the Naib Tehsildar examination, the PSEB Class XII English paper leak, the PSTET controversy, Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board recruitment irregularities, and other scandals.

Questioning the AAP’s “zero tolerance” claims, Sarin reminded the party that its leaders, including national leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, had demanded resignations over examination irregularities elsewhere. He said the same standard must now apply in Punjab.

The BJP demanded the immediate resignation of Health Minister Balbir Singh and Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, holding them morally accountable for repeated examination failures.

Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the AAP of launching a cover-up exercise. She said the FIR registered in the case showed no recovery of any scanner pen, contrary to the Chief Minister’s claim.

“The truth is that the examination paper was leaked in advance. As can be seen in the FIR, no scanner pen was seized from the centre. The FIR only lists the seizure of Bluetooth devices along with headphones. This means the paper was leaked in advance and the answers were being relayed to students through Bluetooth devices,” she asserted.

–IANS

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