Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday claimed that no examination paper leak had taken place in the state during the last four-and-a-half years and said his government had provided nearly 69,000 government jobs based on merit without any recommendations or monetary transactions.
Mann made the remarks while speaking to the media during his visit to Parliament, where he met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and other MPs. According to a statement issued by the Punjab government, the chief minister accused the BJP, Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal of making allegations to undermine the reputation of Punjab and its youth.
He said political differences were a natural part of democracy but should not become personal disagreements. “The beauty of democracy is that people should continue to meet and interact with one another. Differences in ideology are natural in politics and they will always exist, but they should never become differences of heart,” Mann said.
Mann says pharmacy exam incident was cheating attempt, not paper leak
Referring to allegations over recruitment examinations, Mann said the state government had followed a policy of “no cash, no recommendation and no paper leaks” while conducting recruitment drives.
He referred to the recent pharmacy examination incident, saying authorities had detected an attempt to cheat during the exam but clarified that it was not a case of a paper leak. Mann said the examination began at 11 am and within minutes, officials identified a candidate allegedly using a Bluetooth-enabled pen to scan the question paper and receive answers through an earpiece.
The chief minister said Punjab Police acted immediately and arrested candidates along with members of an alleged cheating network operating from outside. He said the examination was successfully completed after the attempt was stopped.
Responding to demands from opposition parties for the resignation of the Education Minister, Mann said the pharmacy examination was conducted under the Health Department and not the Education Department. He added that the Health Minister had already clarified that no paper leak had taken place and that only an attempt at cheating was detected.
CM targets opposition over allegations against Punjab youth
Mann said his government had provided 68,855 government jobs without taking any money and claimed that recruitment in Punjab was now being carried out through transparent and merit-based processes.
He accused the BJP, Congress and Akali Dal of attempting to politically target the state by raising allegations against its recruitment system. Mann said political parties should challenge him directly instead of questioning the commitment and hard work of Punjab’s young population.
“The BJP should fight its political battle with me, not defame the dedication and hard work of Punjab’s youth,” Mann said, according to the government statement.
The chief minister also criticised the Shiromani Akali Dal, claiming that the party had lost its influence in Punjab. He questioned the BJP’s protests outside Parliament and said the party should first address issues related to demonstrations at Jantar Mantar.
Mann reiterated that his government’s recruitment policy was focused on providing employment opportunities without favouritism or corruption. He said the administration would continue working towards ensuring that government jobs were awarded only on the basis of merit.
