JAIPUR: The political storm over paper leaks in recruitment exams rages on in Rajasthan. BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Kirori Lal Meena has been sitting on a Dharna in Jaipur for the last seven days demanding a CBI probe into the matter.
Meena has been in the headlines for the protest for his supporters and unemployed youth even in the midst of heavy rain and freezing cold these days.
Kirori Lal Meena was seen to be fighting a lone battle as he did not see any special support from other BJP leaders. But now the situation has changed as former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia took to Twitter to extend support.
Raje tweeted that the BJP leader is on strike demanding a CBI inquiry into the paper leak case of 16 recruitment examinations including REET, RAS and Constable.
In another tweet, she wrote that the Rajasthan government is crushing the dreams of the youth. "The government is forgetting that this public anger of the youth will prove to be the last nail in the sinking ship of this government. The government should remember that MP Kirodi Lal Meena is not alone in fighting for the youth to get their rights, we all are with them."
Earlier, Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan and Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Rajendra Rathore met Kirodi Lal Meena and extended their support to the demand for a CBI inquiry into the paper leak case. MP Kirori has made it clear that his fast will continue until the Gehlot government gives approval for a CBI inquiry. It is a matter of discussion as to why the BJP leaders, who till now kept a distance from Kirodii's protests and agitations, have suddenly started supporting him. There are speculations behind this that the BJP's top leadership can include Kirori in the Union Cabinet.
In contrast, CM Ashok Gehlot has demanded a nationwide solution for the issue of paper leaks. Mentioning the paper leak of the junior clerk recruitment exam in Gujarat, Gehlot said that the issue has become a serious problem across the country.
"This is the 17th paper leak in Gujarat in the last few years," he said.
Gehlot further added, "There have been complaints of paper leaks and irregularities in Army recruitment, High Court recruitment, even DRDO recruitment, which shows how serious this problem is. We need a nationwide solution."
On the other hand, Rajasthan Congress President Govind Dotasara has raised a big question about the Gujarat government in this paper leak case. He asserted that "in the last few years there have been 15 paper leaks in PM Modi's home state of Gujarat. Will the BJP, which incited the youth in Rajasthan, raise the demand for a CBI inquiry into the paper leak case in Gujarat?"
While a solution remains elusive, politics over the ticklish issue of paper leaks is intensifying in Rajasthan.