Paper Leak and Barnala Lathi-Charge Row Echoes in Parliament as Punjab Congress Targets State Government

Members of Parliament from the Punjab Congress staged a protest in Parliament on Monday, demanding the resignation of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The protest was held over the alleged repeated paper leak incidents in the state and the alleged police lathi-charge on sanitation workers in Barnala. The protest was led by Punjab Congress president and Ludhiana MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, along with MPs Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Amar Singh, and Sher Singh Ghubaya. The Congress leaders accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of failing to safeguard the interests of students and employees in Punjab. The Congress MPs alleged that six recruitment examination papers had been leaked in Punjab over the past four years, affecting more than five lakh students. They claimed that the state government had failed to take responsibility for these incidents. Speaking to reporters, Congress leader Amar Singh alleged that four to five paper leak incidents had taken place in Punjab and claimed that Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann had refused to acknowledge them. Referring to the sanitation workers' agitation, he said the workers had demanded a salary hike but were allegedly subjected to police action. He demanded that criminal cases be registered against the police officials involved and called for the Chief Minister’s resignation. The Congress leaders also condemned the alleged police action against protesting sanitation workers in Barnala, accusing the state administration of using excessive force against demonstrators. Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said the objective of the protest in Parliament was to hold the Punjab government accountable. He stated that all participating Congress MPs had demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Warring further said that those responsible for the alleged lathi-charge and the injuries suffered by protesters, including women, should face legal action, and an FIR should be registered against the officials concerned.