Ludhiana, July 29 (IANS) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Badal on Wednesday alleged that a cash-for-paper-leak scam had taken root in Punjab with 11 examination papers being “managed” through selective leaks to help unscrupulous elements by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dispensation.
Interacting with the media after holding a meeting with the party’s district leadership here, the Akali Dal chief said: “Youth are coming up to me and telling me they have no future in Punjab as AAP has even sold their future by collecting huge sums of money in lieu of selective leaks”.
Elaborating the modus operandi, Badal said, “The entire AAP leadership from Arvind Kejriwal to Manish Sisodia and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann are defending this scam robustly. They have come out openly and are asserting that no paper leak has taken place despite the fact that they had once admitted the same in the past when TET was leaked”.
“This stonewalling is being done to help the beneficiaries of the paper leaks and ensure the ‘moolah’ collected from them does not have to be returned.” He said all this was happening at the time when the Punjab and Haryana High Court was staying examinations taken by the AAP government.
The High Court on Wednesday even stayed the Pharmacy Officers selection process, suspecting the examination process having been vitiated.
Badal said the youth of Punjab trusted the Akali Dal and that was why they were seeking its help. “We have always stood by the youth and will not only do our utmost to ensure justice is given to more than 5 lakh youth who have been affected by the examination paper leaks, but also agitate to secure exemplary punishment to all those guilty of perpetuating this racket”.
He also announced that the party would hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to devise the way and manner to take on the AAP government on this issue.
Answering a media query on the explanation or revised draft of the Jagat Jyot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026, which was submitted to the Sri Akal Takht secretariat by an AAP representative, Badal said it was for the Shiromani committee and the Sri Akal Takht Sahib jathedar to examine the revised draft and ascertain whether the religious objections had been removed.
“We are very clear. The AAP government should not take any decision on religious affairs without consulting the SGPC and the Sri Akal Takht Sahib,” he added.
–IANS
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