NEET row: Punjab AAP calls Congress, BJP politics over students' agitation 'shameful'
Synopsis
As the NEET paper leak agitation sweeps the country, Punjab AAP has turned the political fire back on Congress and BJP — citing over 90 exam leaks under the BJP-led Centre and more than 20 student suicides. The party is staking out a clean-governance position while accusing rivals of exploiting student grief for political mileage.
Key Takeaways
Punjab AAP on 23 July called the Congress and BJP's politics over the NEET paper leak agitation 'shameful.' State AAP Media In-Charge Baltej Pannu said no recruitment exam paper has leaked in Punjab during Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's nearly five-year tenure.
The Faridkot incident was characterised by AAP as a cheating-via-gadgets case, not a paper leak — the accused was caught at the exam centre itself.
Pannu alleged more than 90 paper leaks occurred under the BJP-led Central government , with over 20 students dying by suicide in the aftermath.
AAP urged Congress to account for paper leaks during its own tenure before levelling allegations at the Punjab government.
The Punjab unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday, 23 July condemned what it described as opportunistic politics by both the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the nationwide students' agitation against the NEET paper leak, calling their conduct 'shameful'. The remarks came as student protests over the NEET controversy continued to intensify across the country.
AAP's Core Charge
State AAP Media In-Charge Baltej Pannu said that while lakhs of students are fighting for justice and their futures, both opposition and ruling parties at the Centre have chosen to trade allegations against the AAP government in Punjab rather than stand with the youth. 'Rather than supporting the students' demand for justice, the Congress and the BJP are attempting to mislead people by spreading misinformation about Punjab,' Pannu said.
Punjab's Record on Exam Integrity
Pannu maintained that 'not a single recruitment examination paper has leaked in Punjab during the nearly five-year tenure of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.' He addressed the Faridkot incident specifically, arguing it was 'not a paper leak but a case of cheating through electronic gadgets' — the candidate was reportedly caught red-handed at the examination centre itself, with police initiating legal action immediately. He accused the Congress of 'deliberately portraying the incident as a paper leak to mislead the public.'
Counter-Charges Against Congress and BJP
Pannu called on the Congress to 'first introspect instead of making false allegations against the Punjab government,' pointing to paper leak cases that allegedly occurred during its own tenure in the state. On the BJP, he alleged that 'more than 90 paper leaks took place under the BJP-led Central government, putting the future of crores of young people at stake.' He further claimed that 'more than 20 students died by suicide after being devastated by these incidents,' adding that the BJP government 'neither took timely strict action against those responsible nor made any effort to restore the confidence of the youth.'
Broader Context: The NEET Crisis
The NEET paper leak controversy has triggered one of the largest student-led agitations in recent years, with protests reported across multiple states. The scandal has drawn scrutiny toward the National Testing Agency (NTA) and prompted demands for a complete overhaul of the examination system. This comes amid growing public anger over repeated examination integrity failures at the national level, with critics arguing that systemic accountability has been absent across successive governments.
What Comes Next
With student protests showing no signs of abating, political pressure on both the Centre and state governments is expected to mount. AAP's Punjab unit appears to be positioning itself as a defender of exam integrity ahead of potential electoral cycles, while the Congress and BJP are likely to continue pressing their respective narratives. The government's response to student demands — including calls for re-examination, NTA restructuring, and accountability for those responsible — will be closely watched in the coming days.
Point of View
And is moving quickly to neutralise that narrative. The '90 leaks under BJP' figure and '20 student suicides' claim are serious charges that deserve independent verification; deploying them without a sourced breakdown risks undermining an otherwise legitimate argument. More broadly, all three parties are guilty of the same instinct: treating a genuine crisis of examination integrity as a vehicle for partisan positioning rather than policy accountability. The students deserve better from all sides.
NationPress
23 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Punjab AAP criticise Congress and BJP over the NEET agitation?
Punjab AAP accused both parties of playing politics over the nationwide NEET paper leak protests instead of supporting students' demands for justice. State Media In-Charge Baltej Pannu said the two parties were spreading misinformation about Punjab to divert attention from their own records on exam integrity.
Has any exam paper leaked in Punjab under the AAP government?
According to AAP, no recruitment examination paper has leaked in Punjab during Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's nearly five-year tenure. The party said the Faridkot incident was a cheating-through-electronic-gadgets case, not a paper leak, and that the accused was caught on the spot with police taking immediate action.
What is the Faridkot incident referred to by AAP?
The Faridkot incident involved a candidate allegedly using electronic gadgets to cheat at an examination centre. AAP maintains this was not a paper leak, though the Congress has reportedly characterised it as one. The accused was detained at the exam venue and police initiated legal proceedings.
How many paper leaks does AAP allege occurred under the BJP-led Centre?
AAP's Baltej Pannu alleged that more than 90 paper leaks took place under the BJP-led Central government. He further claimed that more than 20 students died by suicide following these incidents, though these figures were not independently verified in the statement.
What is the broader NEET paper leak controversy about?
The NEET paper leak controversy centres on alleged irregularities in India's national medical entrance examination, triggering widespread student protests and demands for a re-examination, restructuring of the National Testing Agency (NTA), and accountability for those responsible. The agitation has drawn political responses from parties across the spectrum.
