Prashant Kishor gives BPSC a 48-hour ultimatum to concede demands of aspirants
Patna: Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) founder Prashant Kishor has given a 48-hour ultimatum urging the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) to concede to the demands of agitating aspirants failing which the agitation would be intensified.
The aspirants have demanded the cancellation of the 70th Combined Competitive (Preliminary) Examination conducted by the commission on December 13. Alleging large-scale irregularities in the examination, Kishor said that crores of rupees changed hands to fill up the 2035 vacant posts through Combined Competitive Examination.
"The protesting students alleged that the BPSC is reluctant to order a fresh examination as crores of rupees changed hands," he told the media in Patna on Monday.
The students, Kishor said, told him that the December 13 test was put on sale before the examination. "That's why BPSC is reluctant to order a fresh examination," he said, adding that the students are not in a mood to relent. The government has to take a look at the demand of the job aspirants who have been sitting on dharna braving biting cold.
Kishor's statement came soon after a delegation of students called on Bihar chief secretary Amrit Lal Meena, who assured them to look into the grievances of the examinees. "BPSC will conduct an investigation and take appropriate action," the members of the delegation said, quoting the chief secretary Meena.
Taking a dig at chief minister Nitish Kumar, JSP leader said that the chief minister is away in New Delhi at a time when students are protesting against the alleged irregularities in the examination.
"Nitish didn't utter a word when media persons asked the question related to BPSC students' agitation in Bihar," he added.
On Sunday, students were lathicharged and a water cannon was used to disperse them when they were marching towards the chief minister's residence. The security personnel put up barricades to stop the protestors, who didn't relent and proceeded towards the prohibited area.
Prashant Kishor along with 600-700 others were booked on the charges of violating the order of the district administration. Reacting sharply to the police action, the JSP leader said that they did nothing wrong.
"There is no report of vandalism or obstruction in the discharge of official duty of the security personnel. No VIP convoy was obstructed. We held peaceful marches. For what we have been booked for?," he told the media while reiterating to intensify their agitation if the demands were not met.
While sharpening his attack on the NDA government, leader of Opposition in the Bihar assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav said that question papers leaks in the competitive examinations had become a regular affair as there was no guarantee that there would be no paper leak in the future examinations.
He also assailed former poll strategist and Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) founder Prashant Kishor and called his party ‘B’ team of chief minister Nitish Kumar's ruling alliance in Bihar.
“Protesters were “misled” into marching towards Gandhi Maiden despite the district administration warning against it. And, when the time to face lathi charge and water cannons came, those who had offered to lead the protests, chose to run away,” he remarked while obliquely referring to Kishor.
“I met BPSC candidates at Gardanibagh where they had been staging dharna for nearly two weeks, causing the government to tremble. At this moment, some people acting as the government`s B team came,” he remarked.
“On 15-16 December, BPSC announced the cancellation of the exam at one centre. If the paper had been leaked, then why is the exam being cancelled only at one centre? It is a kind of normalisation… That’s why students are protesting for a re-examination. I also support this,” he said.
Spearheading the Congress attack, MP Priyanka Gandhi commented on X, “Students were tortured for the second time in three days in Bihar. It is the government's job to stop corruption, rigging and paper leaks in examinations. But instead of stopping corruption, students are being prevented from raising their voice. Water cannon and lathi charge on the youth in this harsh cold is inhuman. BJP's double engine has become a symbol of double atrocities on the youth.”
She also shared a photo showing water cannons being used against the agitating candidates. Later state education minister Sunil Kumar said that the BPSC will investigate and take important steps in connection with the students' demand.
Candidates, on the other hand, reiterated their resolve to continue their agitation till their demands were met. Around 4.83 lakh aspirants appeared at 912 examination centres across the state to fill 2035 posts through Bihar Combined Competitive (Preliminary) Examination held on December 13.
The controversy erupted on the first day when candidates at Bapu Examination Hall created a scene alleging question paper leak. The examination conducted at Bapu Examination Hall where 12000 candidates appeared was later cancelled by the commission.