Punjab Assembly censures BJP-led Centre over paper leaks; Congress demands resignations

The Punjab Assembly on Monday (August 3, 2026) witnessed noisy scenes as it passed a censure motion by voice vote against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government over repeated examination paper leaks across the country. The motion was moved by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, even as opposition Congress MLAs staged protests demanding the resignation of two state ministers over similar allegations in Punjab.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, addressing the House, said repeated paper leaks under the BJP-led Union government had shattered the aspirations of crores of students. “Those seeking justice were met with tear gas shells, pellet guns and police action instead of accountability,” he said. The state government would forward the censure motion to the Prime Minister’s Office, the Union Ministry of Education and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Mr. Mann said, urging the Centre to take stringent measures to prevent paper leaks and restore the credibility of the country’s education system.

Mr. Mann also criticised the central government’s claim of making India a “Vishwaguru” (world teacher), stating that it had made a mockery of the education system by failing to check repeated paper leaks. “Paper leaks, or in other words, the selling of examination papers, shatter the dreams of aspirants. A reflection of this is that 22 candidates of the NEET examination committed suicide,” he said, adding that 93 paper leaks had taken place in the country since 2014, when the BJP regime assumed office.

The issue of examination paper leaks has become a significant national concern, affecting entrance and recruitment examinations. The NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) is a key medical entrance examination, and paper leaks have led to demands for stricter security and accountability from various quarters. The censure motion, though symbolic, represents a formal expression of disapproval by the Punjab legislature and will be forwarded to the Union government for consideration.

These developments reflect the political friction over accountability for paper leaks: the AAP-led state government accuses the BJP-led Centre of failing to protect students, while the Congress-led Opposition accuses the state government of similar failures in Punjab.

Earlier, during the Question Hour, Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa raised the issue of alleged multiple examination paper leaks in Punjab over the last four-and-a-half years under the AAP regime. He alleged that as many as six exam paper leak incidents took place during the AAP regime, and demanded the resignation of Education Minister Harjot Bains. He also sought the resignation of Health Minister Balbir Singh over a recent cheating racket unearthed during the pharmacy officer recruitment examination.

Following Mr. Bajwa’s remarks, Congress MLAs rushed to the Well of the House and raised slogans against the government, seeking the resignation of both ministers. The House was briefly adjourned.