PATNA: Political parties sought to corner the Nitish Kumar government on Monday, a day after police cane-charged and used water cannons against Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) candidates protesting against alleged exam paper leak.
The candidates are staging protests in Patna demanding retest of the 70th Combined Competitive Preliminary Examination. An FIR was lodged against Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor and 700 others after the protest march on Sunday.
Attacking the NDA government, leader of Opposition in the assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav said question papers leaks had become a regular affair. He also targeted Prashant Kishor, calling his party a ‘B’ team of Nitish Kumar’s ruling alliance.
“Protesters were misled into marching towards Gandhi Maidan despite the district administration warning against it. When the time to face lathi charge and water cannons came, those who had offered to lead the protests chose to run away,” Yadav said, referring to Kishor.
“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,” he said.
Spearheading the Congress attack, MP Priyanka Gandhi said 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.”
Meanwhile, Kishor said he has given a 48-hour ultimatum to the BPSC to concede the demands of the students. He also alleged that thousands of crores of rupees changed hands in the Bihar PSC examination to fill up 2035 posts through the exam.
Earlier in the day, a delegation of students met chief secretary Amrit Lal Meena and apprised him of their demand. Later state education minister Sunil Kumar said the BPSC will investigate and take important steps in connection with the students’ demand.