Congress alleges scam in MP recruitment exam; Priyanka Gandhi says BJP govt shying away from probe

Bhopal: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Madhya Pradesh of shying away from ordering a probe into a recruitment exam for patwaris (revenue department official) which she claimed was a "scam".

Unemployed youth protested during the day in several parts of the state, including Bhopal and Indore, against alleged irregularities in the exam conducted on April 26 by the Madhya Pradesh Employees Selection Board. Results were declared in May and June.

In a tweet, Vadra said, "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?"

मध्य प्रदेश की भाजपा सरकार के शासन में एक बार फिर भर्ती में घोटाले की खबरें आ रही हैं।



नौकरियों के लिए पदों की लाखों रुपए में बोली लगाए जाने की खबरें हैं और सरकार जांच कराने से क्यों कतरा रही है? भर्ती घोटालों से जुड़े होने के आरोप में भाजपा नेताओं का नाम ही क्यों सामने आता है?…

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) July 13, 2023

"Why are the BJP leaders accused of being connected to recruitment scams? There are scams and scams for jobs. Why is the BJP government pushing the future of the lakhs of youth in the dark?" she asked.

Protests calling for the scrapping of the exam and a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into alleged irregularities were held in front of the Bhopal office of the MPESB, formerly known as Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal or Vyapam, and at the Indore collectorate.

National Educated Youth Union's national core committee member Radhe Jat told PTI that a special investigation team of the CBI must probe the exam "scam" as people across the state are angry.

After a leading Hindi newspaper carried a report on the exam two days ago, the Congress latched onto the issue and called it another "Vyapam scam", a reference to the admission and recruitment racket that rocked the state a decade ago and made national headlines.

As per the report, seven out of 10 selected candidates had appeared at the same examination centre, which it claimed was located in a college run by a BJP legislator.

While senior Congress leader Arun Yadav had on Wednesday called it another "Vyapam scam" and alleged only BJP-backed candidates were selected. state Home minister Narottam Mishra, also the spokesperson for the Shivraj Singh Chohan government, had denied the allegations.

Yadav had claimed eight of the 10 candidates who were selected were from Gwalior-Chambal division, including seven from just one centre at a college owned by a BJP MLA.

The issue has come to the fore amid the monsoon session of the MP Assembly.

The five-day session, which started on Tuesday, ended three days ahead of schedule on Wednesday.