Rajasthan: After BJP, Former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot Corners Gehlot Govt Over Paper-leak Scam

The Congress high command was unable to create a truce between Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot. The latter who is back in action by addressing the public rallies scheduled at Nagaur, Hanumangarh, Jhunjhunu, Pali, and Jaipur, till January 20, has questioned the investigations done in the paper leak matter.?

On Monday, Congress leader Sachin Pilot sought a serious investigation into the paper leak matter and the?arrest of the kingpins.??"I feel saddened and anguished about these unfortunate incidents. In Rajasthan, the incidents of repeated paper leaks have put the future of youth at a crossroads. To stop such recurring paper leaks, a fair investigation should happen and people at the helm should be booked", Pilot said while addressing a presser at Nagaur on the sidelines of the Kisan Samelan.

Responding to the Pilot's statement on paper leak incidents in the state, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that his government is taking action against the perpetrators and the mastermind involved in the case.??Without naming Pilot, while speaking on the second day of Chintan Shivir on Tuesday, Gehlot said, " The leaders should name the accused if they know of any, and we'll take action against them. So far we have arrested several people including candidates and teachers, bulldozed coaching centres and done everything".

Gehlot dismissed the allegations of the involvement of any officer in the recent grade-II teacher recruitment examination paper leak case and also attacked the opposition for spreading rumours against his government. "The paper leaks happen all over the country but Rajasthan is the only state where officials were dismissed and stringent action was taken. instead of taking note of what is happening in Uttar Pradesh, the opposition is misleading the people against the state government," he added.

The opposition leaders including BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Lal Meena and Rashtriya Lok Tantrik (RLP) MP Hanuman Beniwal and several others had alleged that the accused in the paper leak cases were linked to the Chief Minister's Office.

"In the Congress tenure, so far 1.35 lakh government jobs have been given and the process of recruitment on 1.25 lakh more posts is under process", added Gehlot.

Last week, the Congress government followed the footsteps of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and used bulldozers to demolish the properties of the accused in a question paper leak case.

The enforcement wing of the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) deployed its teams to the Adhigham coaching centre, situated at the Gopalpura bypass road in Jaipur and run by Bhupi Saran and Suresh Dhaka, the main accused in the paper-leak case. The two are absconding and Udaipur Police has declared a bounty of Rs 25,000 on them.

On December 25, the date for the 2nd-grade teacher recruitment examination, it was found that some candidates had allegedly got hold of the General Knowledge paper before the examination, which was subsequently postponed by the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC). The new date for the examination is January 29, 2022.

The Rajasthan BJP welcomed the move to demolish the coaching centre. The activist slammed the Gehlot government and termed the demolition “vindictive” and an “open violation of the law”.