Job aspirants protest in Ranchi
Ranchi: Leader of opposition Babulal Marandi stepped up his attack against the state govt over alleged irregularities in the recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).As BJP reiterated its demand for a CBI probe, Marandi claimed jobs were openly sold through JPSC and JSSC recruitments and sought the immediate removal of the chairpersons, secretaries and examination controllers of both the commissions. In a post on X, he also demanded registration of FIRs and arrests of those allegedly involved.In a series of tweets on X, Marandi claimed middlemen took candidates to Nepal, Bihar and West Bengal and made them memorise 135 to 150 questions, many of which appeared in examinations. He further alleged that internet services were shut at examination centres to facilitate malpractice.The former CM further claimed that a CID probe was proceeding in the right direction before the investigation team was allegedly changed. He also questioned the role of senior officials connected with the inquiry and called for an independent investigation.BJP state chief spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo, on the other hand, reiterated the party’s demand for a CBI probe into all competitive examinations conducted during the more-than-six-year tenure of the Hemant govt. Addressing a news conference, he alleged that the period had been marked by recruitment scams and loss of public confidence in examinations.He also demanded the arrest of former JPSC chairperson L Khiangte, alleging that investigators had so far targeted only lower-level functionaries.The Congress, part of the coalition govt in the state, however, rejected the BJP’s allegations, terming them a political exercise aimed at misleading youth. Party spokesperson Lal Kishore Nath Shahdeo said, “Wherever complaints or irregularities come to light, the state’s investigating agencies are taking prompt and strict action. No guilty person will be spared”; he said, accusing BJP of ignoring alleged irregularities during its own tenure and defended the ongoing CID investigation as professional and impartial.
