What happened was paper looting, not leak: Sudhanshu Trivedi slams Congress over Jharkhand exam irregularities

Addressing a press conference, Trivedi said the investigation into the Jharkhand examination process had brought out facts that, according to him, exposed serious lapses in the conduct and security of examinations.

"Facts have surfaced showing that during the examination for Assistant Conservator of Forests and Forest Range Officer, question papers were extracted by breaking into the strong room and subsequently altered. In other words, what happened in Jharkhand was not a paper leak, but paper looting," Trivedi said.

He said the alleged incident also raised questions over the security arrangements at the strong room and the claims of ensuring fair examinations for students.

"This also proves how weak the security of their strong room was, and it further exposes the weakness behind Congress's so-called claims of ensuring smooth and fair examination processes for students," he said.

Trivedi demanded that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi clarify how the alleged incident took place in Jharkhand.

"At the very least, Rahul Gandhi, whose ministers are enjoying positions of power in the government, should clarify who allowed this looting to happen," the BJP leader said.

He also accused political parties in Delhi of maintaining silence over the Jharkhand issue despite previously raising concerns over examination irregularities.

"However, it appears that all political parties in Delhi, who were previously roaring and shouting over examination issues, have suddenly gone silent on the Jharkhand matter," he said.

Taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, Trivedi invoked the reference to Mahatma Gandhi's three monkeys and said, "In childhood, we used to hear about Gandhi ji's three monkeys. Now, it seems Rahul Gandhi has three monkeys of his own one sitting with eyes closed, refusing to see; one with ears covered, refusing to hear; and one covering his mouth, refusing to speak."

The BJP MP said the alleged irregularities had a direct bearing on candidates appearing for competitive examinations.

"Yet, their silence on this issue echoes like a cry in the hearts of candidates across Jharkhand and the entire nation. This silence is deafening, and its voice is extremely loud," he said.

Trivedi also raised the issue of women's representation in Congress-ruled states, claiming that the party's governments have failed to provide adequate representation to women in ministerial positions.

"The Congress Party, which has governments in four states... Himachal Pradesh: zero female ministers. Karnataka: zero female ministers. Kerala: two female ministers. In Telangana, there were two female ministers, one of whom has been removed," he said.

"Meaning four governments and three female ministersthis is a great injustice," he added.

Trivedi alleged that there was a gap between Congress's public statements on women's empowerment and its actions in states where it is in power.

He contrasted this with the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre, claiming that it has the highest number of women ministers in the country's history and citing initiatives including Jan Dhan, Ujjwala and permanent commissions for women in the armed forces.

The BJP leader's remarks come amid an ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities in Jharkhand's competitive examination system. The CID of Jharkhand Police has arrested an accused, identified as Sameer Kumar, in connection with the JSSC-CGL competitive examination case.

The development follows protests by students and members of the JPSC-JSSC Reform Forum over examination-related issues. Police had earlier registered FIRs following clashes during a protest in Ranchi.

The Jharkhand High Court has also stayed the state government's order cancelling the 11th and 13th JPSC examinations and appointments, offering relief to newly appointed officers who challenged the decision.

The investigation into the examination irregularities remains underway. (ANI)