New Delhi (Agency): On Thursday, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the General Secretary of the Congress party, accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Madhya Pradesh of avoiding an investigation into a supposed scam in a recruitment exam. This examination was held for the recruitment of patwaris, or revenue department officials.
Protests by unemployed young people took place in many parts of the state, including Bhopal and Indore, in response to alleged irregularities in the examination. The Madhya Pradesh Employees Selection Board organized this exam on April 26, and the results were announced in May and June.
In a social media post, Vadra raised the alarm, saying, “News of another scam was coming from BJP ruled Madhya Pradesh. It is news of bidding in lakhs for getting (government) jobs. Why is the government shying away from ordering a probe into it?” She further questioned the connection of BJP leaders with such recruitment scams and expressed concern over the future of the young population.
Demonstrators demanded the nullification of the examination results and an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged misdeeds. These protests took place at the Bhopal office of the MPESB, previously known as Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal or Vyapam, and at the Indore collectorate.
Radhe Jat, a national core committee member of the National Educated Youth Union, also voiced the demand for a special CBI investigation team to look into the exam “scam”. He stated that people across the state are furious about the issue.
The Congress party jumped onto the issue and labeled it another “Vyapam scam” after a leading Hindi newspaper reported on the exam two days ago. The “Vyapam scam” was a notorious admission and recruitment scandal that had previously shaken the state about a decade ago and gained nationwide attention.
According to the report, seven out of the ten selected candidates took the exam at the same center, which was allegedly located in a college run by a BJP legislator.
Senior Congress leader Arun Yadav likened the situation to the “Vyapam scam”, alleging that only candidates supported by the BJP were selected. In contrast, state Home Minister Narottam Mishra, who is also the spokesperson for the Shivraj Singh Chohan government, denied these allegations.
Yadav claimed that eight out of the ten selected candidates came from the Gwalior-Chambal division, including seven from a single center at a college owned by a BJP MLA.