NEW DELHI / CHANDIGARH, JULY 29 — Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann declared that not a single competitive examination paper has been leaked in the state over the last four and a half years. Addressing reporters during a visit to Parliament in New Delhi, the Chief Minister urged political opponents to fight their battles directly with him rather than attempting to tarnish the image of Punjab and its hardworking youth.
The statement comes in response to allegations raised by opposition political groups regarding recent recruitment tests. Clarifying an incident during a recent pharmacy examination, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann maintained that the incident was an attempted case of high-tech cheating rather than a systemic leak.
“A few days ago, we did detect a case of cheating during a pharmacy examination,” Bhagwant Singh Mann said. “The exam started at 11 am, and by 11:15 am we had found that a candidate was using a Bluetooth-enabled pen to scan the question paper and receive answers through an earpiece from people sitting outside. The Punjab Police acted immediately, arrested 10 candidates along with an 11-member gang operating from outside, and sent them to jail. Punjab works on the principle of ‘No Cash, No Farmaish’, only merit.”
The Chief Minister noted that almost 69,000 public sector appointments have been completed under his administration entirely on merit, without recommendations or corruption.
Dismissing calls for the resignation of the Education Minister, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann affirmed that the examination was administered under the Health Department. He stated that the Health Minister has already confirmed no leak occurred, as law enforcement intercepted the cheating attempt swiftly.
“I stand before the people after providing 68,855 government jobs without taking a single rupee and purely on the basis of merit,” Bhagwant Singh Mann added. “Cheating and corruption in recruitment have become things of the past in Punjab.”
