Former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that after Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, the BJP led central government must now apologise to the country’s youth, even as the Congress will now demand accountability from the government regarding paper leaks in the Parliament.

“Had Mr. Pradhan accepted moral responsibility and resigned at the very beginning, innocent students would neither have had to face lathi-charges nor endure such a prolonged struggle,” he said, addressing a press conference here.

“The government must now apologise to the youth, the country’s future, whom it subjected to lathi-charges and brutality. Also, the examination system must be made transparent enough to eliminate any possibility of future paper leaks,” he added.

The former Chief Minister said the issue of paper leaks has assumed epidemic proportions across the country, and the youth were forced to take to the streets in protest due to the apathy of the BJP government. “In response, the Congress party, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, launched a nationwide movement through the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj.’ Ultimately, the BJP was compelled to yield to this mass movement. The Congress will now demand accountability from the government regarding paper leaks within Parliament,” he said.

Mr. Hooda said that approximately 7.5 crore candidates have been affected by the recurring paper leaks under the BJP government. “This problem is not confined to competitive examinations alone, and rampant paper leaks are also occurring in various recruitment exams. The unemployment crisis is such that 9 crore young people apply for a mere 6 lakh jobs annually,” he said.

“Haryana has become a hub for paper leaks, citing details of over 30 such incidents that have occurred in the State during the BJP government’s tenure,” he alleged. “An entire racket trading in exam papers and jobs is active nationwide, including in Haryana. The problem has become so severe that it is proving fatal. 26 candidates across the country have died by suicide, distressed by the NEET paper leak alone,” he said.