The political battle over examination paper leaks has now moved to Punjab, with the BJP, Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) stepping up demands for the resignation of state Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains and Health Minister Balbir Singh.

The Opposition parties have sought to link the controversy surrounding the NEET examination with alleged irregularities in Punjab's recruitment and board examinations. They argue that if the Union Education Minister was held accountable amid the national controversy, similar responsibility should be fixed within the Punjab government over allegations of question paper leaks in the state.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has maintained that cases involving examination-related wrongdoing have been investigated and that action has been taken when evidence was found. However, the party has yet to issue a specific response to the Opposition's latest demand seeking the removal of the two state ministers.

Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring welcomed Pradhan's resignation and described it as a result of students' sustained protests. He subsequently turned his attention to the Mann government, asking Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Bains to take responsibility for alleged leaks involving various examinations conducted during the AAP government's tenure.

Warring alleged that the controversy has extended beyond recruitment examinations and included the Class 12 English board paper. He further claimed that students who raised their voices against such incidents faced police action instead of receiving adequate assurances from the government.

The Congress leader also referred to earlier remarks attributed to senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia, arguing that the principle of ministerial accountability should apply equally in Punjab whenever examination papers are compromised.

The BJP has also intensified its criticism of the state government. Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa questioned the apparent difference between AAP leaders' stance on the NEET controversy and their response to allegations of examination paper leaks in Punjab.

Sirsa called on the Mann government to take firm action against those found responsible and specifically sought Bains' resignation.

The Shiromani Akali Dal has made a similar push for accountability. SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal accused the state administration of failing to safeguard the credibility of its examination process and demanded that both Bains and Balbir Singh step down over what she described as repeated controversies surrounding examinations under the AAP regime.

The AAP has previously rejected the argument that every examination irregularity should automatically result in a minister's resignation. The party's position has been that investigations should establish responsibility and that disciplinary or legal action should follow wherever wrongdoing is proven. The government has also maintained that improving recruitment mechanisms and strengthening safeguards around examinations are ongoing priorities.

The latest confrontation has political significance as Punjab approaches the next Assembly elections. The Opposition is attempting to use the national NEET controversy and Pradhan's resignation as a benchmark against which it wants the AAP government's handling of alleged examination irregularities to be judged.

With the BJP, Congress and SAD jointly increasing pressure on the Mann administration, the controversy is likely to remain a prominent political issue in the months leading up to the polls. The AAP's response to the renewed calls for the resignation of Bains and Singh could further shape the political debate around examination integrity and accountability in Punjab.