Amritsar: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday accused Punjab’s AAP govt of exam paper leaks, while urging the central govt to address student grievances through dialogue.Speaking to reporters in Amritsar, he criticised police tactics employed to quell a march to Parliament on Monday and advised the Centre to adopt a conciliatory approach toward the protesting students.He also accused Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann of showing selective solidarity with students while failing to address local recruitment paper leaks, irregularities in the Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board examinations, and a cheating racket in the pharmacy officer test.Beyond student protests, Sukhbir accused the state govt of ignoring the rights of state power utility and employment guarantee plan workers, while withholding dearness allowance benefits despite court orders for release.He requested the central govt to consult farmers on the proposed agricultural trade deal with the US and make the terms of the agreement public, stating that farmers feared duty-free imports could undermine local agricultural and dairy markets.Sukhbir also said his party will join the “Khalsa March” of Akal Takht’s officiating jathedar on July 24, while he condemned the administration’s response to a recent sacrilege incident at Muktsar Sahib.
