The Himachal Pradesh Congress on Thursday launched a sharp counterattack against Union Health Minister JP Nadda after he alleged that a Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education examination paper had been leaked under the present Congress government. Nadda made the claim while addressing a press conference in New Delhi, prompting an immediate response from senior state ministers and the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC).
Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi accused Nadda of tarnishing the image of his home state for political gains. He said the Union Minister had conveniently forgotten the series of recruitment examination scams that surfaced during the BJP’s tenure in Himachal Pradesh.
Negi specifically referred to the 2022 Himachal Pradesh Police constable recruitment examination paper leak, which forced the then BJP government led by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur to cancel the written examination after it emerged that the question paper had been leaked before the test.
Education Minister Rohit Thakur clarified that the incident cited by Nadda was not a paper leak but a case of human error involving a teacher in Chamba district, where the wrong question paper was opened. He said such an incident could not be equated with organised paper leak rackets involving competitive examinations.
“A human error cannot be termed a paper leak, nor can it be compared with large-scale examination leaks such as NEET or police recruitment examinations,” Thakur said.
Negi further alleged that paper leaks had become rampant under the BJP government and claimed that the erstwhile Himachal Pradesh Staff Selection Commission had turned into a hub of corruption. He said the Congress government, after assuming office, dissolved the commission upon discovering widespread irregularities.
Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil and Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar also criticised Nadda, accusing him of making misleading and politically motivated statements.
Joining the attack, HPCC president Vinay Kumar said the Congress government had enacted the Himachal Pradesh Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2025, which provides for imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 crore for those found guilty of paper leaks. He urged the Centre to focus on taking strict action against those responsible for alleged irregularities in NEET and CBSE examinations instead of levelling accusations against the Himachal Government and demanded the removal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.