Centre must apologise to youth after Pradhan’s resignation: Bhupinder Hooda

Chandigarh, July 25 (AHN) Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda on Saturday said the struggle waged by the youth and students marked a major victory, stressing that the Union government must now apologise to the country’s youth for subjecting them to lathi charges and brutality during their protests.

“The government must apologise to the youth, the country’s future, whom it subjected to lathi‑charges and brutality. Furthermore, the examination system must be made transparent enough to eliminate any possibility of future paper leaks,” the Leader of the Opposition told the media here.

Hooda said the issue of paper leaks has assumed epidemic proportions across the country, forcing students to take to the streets due to the apathy of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

“In response, the Congress, under the leadership of LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, launched a nationwide movement through the ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ (Voice of Students) campaign. 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.

Hooda noted that approximately 7.5 crore candidates have been affected by 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.

He added that Haryana has become a hub for paper leaks, citing over 30 such incidents during the BJP government’s tenure.

Prominent among these are Haryana Civil Services (2023), CET (2023), Sub‑Inspector recruitment (March 2022), dental surgeons (December 2021), PGI Rohtak exam (2025), police constable recruitment (August 2021), Gram Sachiv recruitment (January 12, 2021), and clerk recruitment (December 2016).

Hooda said over 152 paper leaks have occurred across the country, alleging that 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 committed suicide, distressed by the NEET paper leak alone,” he added.