JAIPUR: Rajasthan School Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasra on Saturday attacked the BJP, alleging that cheating in exams was rampant and "gangs" involved in it "flourished" during the party's rule in the state.
The minister also accused the BJP of misleading the youth over the conduct of the Rajasthan Teacher Eligibility Test (REET) and said if any irregularity found, the guilty won't be spared.
Addressing at the launch of the "Prashasan Shahron, Gaon ke Sang" campaign at the CM's residence, Dotasra also said a notification for recruitment to other 29,000 posts in the Education Department will be issued this month.
The statement by the minister came amid allegations of paper leak and irregularities in the conduct of REET, in which over 16 lakh candidates appeared on Sunday for recruitment to more than 30,000 seats.
The BJP has already demanded a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities.
Lashing out at the Opposition party, Dotasra said they are upset as proper arrangements were made for the exam by his government.
Earlier under the BJP rule in the state, the government did not take action to check cheating in exams, he said.
"You also had the resources, you had the government, but you kept on sleeping peacefully. The gangs involved in cheating continued to flourish," he alleged.
Dotasra said Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot directed strict action against those involved in irregularities, therefore, such people have been caught.
If there is any irregularity, then the matter can be brought to the level of the chief minister or to him, Dotasra said.
"We are ready to conduct an inquiry. We we are ready to punish the guilty," he said.
Targeting BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Kirori Lal Meena and others, who are agitating at Shaheed Smarak in Jaipur over the issue, Dotasra said they are misleading the youth.
Later, reacting to Dotasra's statement, Meena tweeted that he was hurt by the minister's comments but it won't impact his dedication for the cause of the unemployed youth.
He said Dotasra should tell how the paper leaked and why the exam is not being cancelled.
The state government has already suspended an RAS officer, two RPS officers, a head constable, two constables and over a dozen employees of the Education Department over the alleged irregularities.