Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], August 10 (ANI): The Odisha Youth Congress held a torch (mashal) rally in Bhubaneswar, targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state over alleged exam paper leaks and errors in school textbooks.
While addressing reporters here, Odisha Congress president Bhakta Charan Das said that students and youth across the country have been awakened following senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s call in Prayagraj during the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ event.
“Following Rahul Gandhi’s call in Prayagraj, the youth and students across the entire nation have awakened. Today, under the leadership of the Odisha Youth Congress, we see Uday Bhanu here, along with Youth Congress leader Ranjit Patra and our in-charge. This fight continues. This struggle has been ongoing in Odisha for some time and will persist across the country,” Das said.
Speaking to ANI, Senior Congress leader Manas Choudhury also alleged that the state government has failed to address issues related to education and student concerns.
“You are aware of the paper leak that occurred across India; the situation here is even worse. Question papers for school students have been leaked, and there are over 3,000 errors (sic) in the textbooks. Yet, the minister remains asleep. The minister isn’t even fit to speak. He is incapable of saying anything, and nothing is going to change. He has been shown a trailer; the full movie is yet to come,” Choudhury said.
The Congress leaders alleged that repeated incidents of paper leaks and mistakes in textbooks have affected students and demanded accountability from the state government.
The protest was organised by the Odisha Youth Congress as part of its campaign against alleged irregularities in the education system. Congress workers and youth leaders participated in the torch rally in Bhubaneswar.
The protests in Odisha come amid demonstrations by students in Jharkhand, demanding accountability over alleged irregularities in the JPSC-JSSC examinations.
In Ranchi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state general secretary Amar Kumar Bauri targeted the Jharkhand government over the ongoing protest by JPSC-JSSC aspirants and alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.
“13 examinations have been conducted during this government’s tenure over the last seven years. With the exception of just one, every single exam has come under scrutiny. Issues such as paper leaks, rigged arrangements, the involvement of ‘solver gangs’ (impersonators), and the systematic recruitment of candidates sharing the same serial number at various centres have plagued these exams,” Bauri said.
“Students have consistently voiced their protests and grievances about these matters. Yet, the government has repeatedly suppressed their voices while moving forward,” he added.
Referring to the recent JPSC 14th Preliminary Test controversy, Bauri said, “Take the recent JPSC 14th Preliminary Test, for instance; the subsequent viral OMR sheets created an uproar, leading to student protests that have now been ongoing for 16 days.”
He further alleged that the government attempted to weaken the student movement.
“Initially, the government attempted to derail the student movement and divide the protesters into factions; the Congress deployed its NSUI wing, while the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha fielded its Jharkhand Chhatra Morcha. They tried to mislead people by raising slogans about ‘outsiders’ and getting tribal organisations to echo this narrative…” Bauri alleged.
The protests began after the announcement of results of the 14th JPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination on July 5, with aspirants alleging irregularities in the recruitment process. The students have been demanding cancellation of allegedly tainted examinations, a CBI probe, transparency in evaluation, disclosure of cut-offs and answer sheets, strict action against those responsible, and a recruitment calendar on the lines of UPSC and SSC. (ANI)
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