Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have raised concerns about a potential scam in a recruitment exam for patwaris (revenue department ground duty staffers) in Madhya Pradesh. They accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of avoiding an investigation into the matter. Unemployed youth across the state, including Bhopal and Indore, held protests against the alleged irregularities in the exam conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Employees Selection Board on April 26. The results were declared in May and June.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took to Twitter to express her dismay, stating, "News of another scam is emerging from BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh. It is shocking to hear that government jobs are being sold for lakhs of rupees. Why is the government hesitating to order an investigation into this?"
Rahul Gandhi echoed her concerns, accusing the BJP of jeopardizing the future of countless youth through such irregularities. He stated, "The BJP has just stolen from the youths of Madhya Pradesh. The patwari examination scam is reminiscent of the Vyapam scam, which shattered the dreams of thousands of young people."
Protests demanding the cancellation of the exam and a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the alleged irregularities took place in front of the MPESB office in Bhopal and at the Indore collectorate. The National Educated Youth Union called for a CBI investigation into the exam "scam," citing widespread anger among the people of the state.
The Congress party swiftly seized on the issue after a leading Hindi newspaper published a report revealing that seven out of ten selected candidates had appeared at the same examination center, which was allegedly located in a college run by a BJP legislator. The Congress referred to this incident as another "Vyapam scam," drawing parallels to the admission and recruitment racket that shook the state a decade ago.
While senior Congress leader Arun Yadav accused the BJP of favoring its own candidates, state Home Minister Narottam Mishra, who also serves as the spokesperson for the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government, denied the allegations. Yadav claimed that eight out of the ten selected candidates were from the Gwalior-Chambal division, with seven of them appearing at a single center in a college owned by a BJP MLA.
This issue has emerged during the monsoon session of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly. The session, which began on Tuesday, unexpectedly concluded three days ahead of schedule on Wednesday. The demand for a thorough investigation into the recruitment exam scam has intensified during this legislative session.
