Ranchi: Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi on Wednesday met students protesting at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi and reiterated the BJP’s support for their demands, calling for a CBI investigation into alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted in Jharkhand.
Ahead of the Monsoon Session of the Jharkhand Assembly, Marandi spent around 15 minutes interacting with the protesters before telling reporters that their demands were justified. He said the BJP would stand by the students “from the streets to the Assembly” and raise the issue forcefully during the session beginning Thursday.
Marandi alleged that the controversy extends far beyond paper leaks, describing it as a larger “jobs-for-sale” scam. He claimed that serious irregularities had surfaced in several recruitment examinations, including those conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC), the JSSC-CGL examination and the Excise Constable recruitment process.
According to him, the issue is not confined to the 14th JPSC Combined Civil Services Examination alone. He demanded an impartial investigation into all examinations conducted by the JPSC over the past six years.
The BJP leader said the protesting students are demanding the cancellation of the disputed examinations and a comprehensive CBI probe into the alleged recruitment scams, adding that they are determined to continue their agitation until these demands are met.
Marandi also alleged that in the Excise Constable recruitment examination and certain JSSC recruitment tests, some candidates were allegedly given access to questions and answers in advance.
Questioning the transparency of the 14th JPSC examination, he claimed that the cut-off marks were not disclosed for a long time and that the figures released later raised serious doubts about the fairness of the selection process.
He demanded the immediate removal of the Chairpersons, Secretaries and Examination Controllers of both the JPSC and JSSC. He also called for the registration of FIRs against those responsible, their arrest, and a CBI investigation into the entire recruitment process.
Accusing the Hemant Soren government of remaining indifferent to the students’ concerns, Marandi said the protesters had been demonstrating for several days despite heavy rainfall, but the government had failed to make any meaningful effort to engage with them or resolve their grievances.
Several BJP MLAs and party leaders accompanied Marandi during his visit to the protest site.
With inputs from IANS