Bathinda: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday challenged Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal to an open debate in Punjab over alleged examination paper leaks and recruitment irregularities, and renewed demands for resignations and a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the cases, reported the media.
Calls for accountability and resignations
Addressing a Students Organisation of India (SOI) protest at Government Rajindra College in Bathinda, Badal asked why no senior official or minister had yet resigned in connection with the alleged leaks, which he said had impacted more than 10 lakh students across the state. He specifically demanded the immediate resignation of Punjab ministers Harjot Bains and Balbir Singh, and urged a CBI probe into 10 alleged paper-leak cases, according to the report.
Badal accused the state government of failing to hold anyone responsible and said the matter merited an impartial, federal-level enquiry.
“Are they not your children? Why are you betraying Punjabi students like this?”
Challenge to Kejriwal and national politics
Taking aim at Kejriwal, Badal questioned why the AAP leader had led protests for students in Delhi but had not displayed similar activism for student groups in Punjab. He challenged Kejriwal to face him in an open debate at any university in the state, saying he would lay out what he described as facts and figures on alleged paper leaks, recruitment of candidates from outside Punjab and the exclusion of Punjabi youth from government employment.
Allegations on recruitment and local hiring
Badal alleged that of the 60,000 jobs the AAP government claimed to have created, more than half went to candidates from outside Punjab. He cited recruitment data to claim that among 68 Veterinary Inspector appointments, 24 candidates were from Haryana and 12 from Rajasthan. He also alleged that for 2,100 Lineman posts, 600 recruits were from Haryana and 100 from Rajasthan. Additionally, Badal claimed that 60% of newly created posts in the Punjab Health Systems Corporation had gone to outsiders, the report said.
He argued these patterns had deprived local youth of employment opportunities and called for remedial action, including state-level hiring guarantees.
- Demanded resignations of ministers Harjot Bains and Balbir Singh
- Sought a CBI probe into 10 alleged paper-leak incidents
- Challenged Arvind Kejriwal to an open debate in Punjab
Numbers cited by SAD
| Category | Figure cited by SAD |
|---|---|
| Students allegedly affected | 10 lakh |
| Jobs claimed created | 60,000 |
| Veterinary Inspectors (outsiders) | 24 from Haryana; 12 from Rajasthan (out of 68) |
| Lineman posts (outsiders) | 600 from Haryana; 100 from Rajasthan (out of 2,100) |
| PHSC posts (claimed) | 60% to outsiders |
Implications for students and job-seekers
The allegations, if substantiated, touch on two key fault-lines in Punjab politics: the integrity of public examinations and the question of local employment. Examination leaks undermine merit-based recruitment and place long-term strain on students who prepare for years for government jobs; perceived preference for out-of-state candidates feeds concerns about the displacement of local youth in a state where unemployment and farm distress remain politically sensitive issues.
Badal’s demand for a CBI probe indicates an attempt to transfer the matter from the state to a central investigative agency, a step that would be politically charged and likely opposed by the state government. His public challenge to Kejriwal seeks to nationalise the controversy and put the AAP leadership on the defensive ahead of future electoral contests.
What happens next
The AAP government in Punjab has not, as yet, been reported to have accepted the challenge or changed its position on the alleged irregularities. Any formal reply from the state administration or the specified ministers would be expected to address both the specific allegations and the demand for federal investigation. For students and aspirants, clarity from examination authorities and an expeditious review or re-examination policy would be crucial if the cases move to court or to a central agency.
The developments are likely to escalate into a wider political debate in the coming days as parties and student groups respond to the SAD’s claims and the challenge to AAP national leadership.
