Jaipur, July 24: Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has contested Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma’s assertion that there have been no paper leaks during the last two and a half years of his administration.
In a statement, Gehlot accused the Rajasthan government of failing to conduct a fair investigation into complaints related to recruitment examinations.
Referring to the NEET-UG exam, Gehlot alleged that complaints regarding leaks were initially suppressed by the state government and police. The issue only came to light when students reached out to the National Testing Agency (NTA).
Gehlot cited several other alleged irregularities, including the recovery of an unsealed envelope containing the RAS exam paper in Nawalgarh (Jhunjhunu), a lecturer recruitment exam paper reportedly arriving with a broken seal, allegations of cheating during the LDC recruitment exam at Swami Vivekananda Model School in Jaisalmer, and a case of tampering with OMR sheets linked to a technical head of the Rajasthan Staff Selection Board (RSB).
He further noted that while the BJP government later canceled the Sub-Inspector (SI) recruitment exam, it initially opposed this decision in the Rajasthan High Court. Gehlot also mentioned police action against candidates protesting the recruitment exams.
Comparing the previous Congress government with the current BJP administration, Gehlot stated that during Congress’s tenure, the government took stringent action against the alleged paper leak mafia, resulting in over 400 arrests, the demolition of properties linked to the accused, the removal of senior officials, and the implementation of a strict anti-paper leak law that included life imprisonment, fines up to 10 crore rupees, and asset confiscation.
He alleged that while the BJP government failed to prevent paper leaks from 2013 to 2018, the Congress government took decisive steps against the alleged exam mafia.
In conclusion, Gehlot accused the current government of suppressing facts instead of ensuring accountability.
The BJP government has not yet responded to Gehlot’s allegations. The Chief Minister has previously stated that no documents have been leaked during the current administration.
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