BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Sunday attacked the Rajasthan government over recruitment paper leak incidents and the arrest of a former Congress leader for allegedly taking a bribe to help a candidate clear a competitive exam.
Those behind paper leaks in the state are given patronage by the Congress government, he charged.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested former chairperson of State Ghumantu Jati Kalyan Board Gopal Kesawat and three others on Saturday for accepting a bribe of Rs 18.50 lakh to help a candidate clear the executive officer recruitment exam conducted by the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC). Kesawat is a former Congress leader.
He was expelled from the party in November 2018 for contesting the assembly elections as a rebel candidate.
On Kesawat’s arrest, Poonawalla said, “He was caught red-handed while taking a bribe. This proves that the paper leaks in Rajasthan are state-sponsored.”
“Today it is also being heard that to save the main accused in the paper leak nexus, lawyers close to the first family are being sent by Delhi,” the BJP leader said in a veiled attack on the Gandhi family. Poonawalla claimed Kesawat “is a tall leader of the Rajasthan Congress”.
“He is known to be close to (Chief Minister) Ashok Gehlot and held the status of a state minister. He was also seen in close proximity with Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra,” he charged.
More than 15-16 papers have been leaked in Rajasthan and the Congress provides patronage to those behind these leaks, he alleged.
“Such scams continue unabated in Rajasthan,” he said. The state has witnessed a few instances where it was alleged that exam question papers for recruitment were leaked to aspirants, including in 2021 during the hiring of teachers by the state education board and last year in a test conducted by the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC).
The Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Rajasthan Police, which is investigating the paper leaks, had arrested former RPSC member Babulal Katara, his nephew and driver in April in connection with the senior teacher paper leak case of 2022.
The exam was cancelled after the paper was widely shared on social media before the commencement of the exam.
Comments
0 comment