New Delhi: BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Wednesday questioned Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, over his silence on paper leak cases reported in states governed by the Congress party and its INDIA bloc allies.
He asked whether Gandhi would speak on such incidents or continue to remain selective in raising the issue.
Speaking to IANS outside Parliament, Thakur said, “During Akhilesh Yadav’s government in Uttar Pradesh, the state became known for paper leaks. Even appointments to the Public Service Commission were allegedly influenced by caste considerations. Look at the situation in Punjab as well. Five major scams and paper leaks took place there, directly betraying the trust of nearly five lakh young aspirants under the Aam Aadmi Party government. Look at Jharkhand and Karnataka too. Who is in power in those states? Congress and its allies. But Rahul Gandhi will not say anything about these issues. Will he speak on them, or will he remain selective? This exposes their real face.”
The BJP leader further accused the opposition of attempting to politicise the concerns of students.
“Those who are currently out on bail in corruption cases are talking about the interests of students. During whose governments hundreds of paper leaks occurred, will they now speak in favour of students? They want to do politics on the shoulders of students,” Thakur said.
Earlier in the day, several BJP MPs, including parliamentarians from Jharkhand, staged a protest within the Parliament premises over the alleged paper leak in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examination. The protesting MPs demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the matter and called for the resignation of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
Among the examinations that have faced allegations of paper leaks, security lapses, or fraud are the JSSC CGL examination, JPSC Combined Civil Services Examination, Excise Constable Recruitment Examination, JAC Class 10 Board Examination, and NEET-UG examination.
Earlier on Tuesday, Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab of failing to address examination-related irregularities. She claimed that the state had witnessed six major paper leak incidents over the past five years.
“There have been six major paper leaks in Punjab over the last five years, and several instances of cheating in examinations have also come to light. Even on July 19, there was large-scale cheating reported in a pharmacy examination. Arvind Kejriwal, who is functioning like a ‘super CM’ in Punjab, has remained completely silent on the issue. The Punjab Chief Minister, meanwhile, continues to make irresponsible statements,” Maliwal alleged.
(IANS)
