Rigging allegations: MP CM Chouhan halts appointments, calls for review of Patwari exam results at Gwalior centre

Controversy erupted after the opposition Congress claimed that seven of the 10 toppers were found to have taken the test at NRI College of Engineering and Management, Gwalior – which was owned by BJP MLA Sanjeev Kushwaha – and called for a CBI investigation.

Those who could not clear the examination staged sit-in protests across the state. A large number of candidates from Indore and Bhopal demanded cancellation of the test on Thursday.

Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Kamal Nath said, “The chief minister has decided to stop the appointments, accepting that there is large-scale rigging and scam in these examinations.”

“I want to tell the chief minister in clear words that any decision should be such that there is no injustice to the candidates. Stopping appointments is one thing and catching the real culprits is another. In the Vyapam and nursing scams also, the government tried to cover up the matter by taking similar action and shielded the main conspirators belonging to the ruling party. The people of Madhya Pradesh want to know who are the main perpetrators of the Patwari recruitment scam and what is their relation with the Bharatiya Janata Party,” Nath said.

During the day, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra raised concerns about a potential scam in the recruitment exam. Priyanka took aim at the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh and asked why the names of BJP leaders keep cropping up in recruitment scams.

“Once again there are reports of a scam in recruitment under the rule of the BJP government of Madhya Pradesh. There are reports of jobs being bid for posts in lakhs of rupees and why is the government shying away from conducting an inquiry? Why only the names of BJP leaders keep cropping up for their alleged involvement in recruitment scams? There are only scams in recruitment for jobs. Why is the BJP government putting the future of lakhs of youth in darkness,” Priyanka sought to know.

Rahul dubbed the Patwari examination allegations as Vyapam 2.0 scam. “The BJP has just stolen from the youths of Madhya Pradesh. The Patwari examination scam is Vyapam 2.0 scam, which is playing with the future of lakhs of young people. Earlier, the BJP stole the elected government of the people, now it is stealing the rights from the students and employment from the youth,” he alleged.

State Home Minister Narottam Mishra said a Congress spokesperson from Ashoknagar failed to clear the Patwari examination. “This is why the Congress has created a hue and cry over the issue,” he said.

The seven toppers against whom the Congress has raised allegations took the examination in different shifts, Mishra said, adding that if Kamal Nath wants, the government can provide him with all the records. “Similarly, there are more than 31 centres where more candidates passed the examination,” he added.

The home minister said the “Congress had raised questions over putting signature in Hindi. He wanted to know whether the candidates should sign in Hindi or in Italian.” Adding that in Madhya Pradesh, medical courses are taught in Hindi, Mishra said, “Since Kamal Nath is a Lutiyen, he has an objection to Hindi.”

The Employees Selection Board (ESB) said the seven toppers had given the examination in separate shifts on different dates at the NRI test centre. “This means their question papers were different. The allocation of examination centres, dates, shifts, and roll numbers is done through a random process by the board,” the board said.

Former Congress Union Minister Arun Yadav had raised doubts over the candidates signing their admit cards in Hindi even though they scored highly in English. On this, the board said, “In their admit cards, six out of the top 10 candidates signed in Hindi, while four signed in English. The rules of the examination do not mandate the language of the signature but require it to be clear for the admit card to be issued. In the English section of the top 10 candidates, they received marks between 13 and 23 out of 25.”