New Delhi, Sep 14 (IANS): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi on Monday sharply criticised Rahul Gandhi and the Congress, accusing him of putting up a "charade" of championing students' interests that would collapse once facts emerged.
He linked the recent recruitment irregularities to the party's track record, pointing to the Enforcement Directorate (ED)'s action in Uttarakhand and earlier issues under Congress government.
Trivedi referred to irregularities in a recruitment examination conducted by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-Congress government in Jharkhand, noting that these had recently come to light.
Turning to Uttarakhand, The BJP MP highlighted the ED raid involving the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) of former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat.
"A serious matter has surfaced: OMR sheets were removed from secure custody to facilitate a recruitment scam for the post of Gram Panchayat Development Officer. This is quite evident," Trivedi said.
The ED searches, conducted on September 10, targeted premises linked to alleged money laundering in the 2016 Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC) Gram Panchayat Vikas Adhikari (VPDO) examination.
According to the agency, OMR answer sheets were allegedly diverted from secure custody.
Under-filled sheets' roll numbers were noted and passed to a private computer agency for fraudulent alteration of answers in exchange for illegal gratification through middlemen.
From the residence of Chandan Singh Jeena -- Harish Rawat's former OSD and current Personal Assistant -- the ED recovered Rs 32 lakh in unaccounted cash, gold weighing about 200.5 grams and 12 luxury watches.
Bank accounts holding more than Rs 52 lakh were frozen, with total assets valued at around Rs 1.28 crore.
Trivedi also recalled that during the previous Congress government in Uttarakhand, various irregularities had occurred in recruitment processes at the Ayurveda University.
"It appears that whenever the Congress is involved, government appointments become a vehicle for corruption," he remarked.
Harish Rawat has resigned from his posts in the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee executive and as a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee following the ED action.
The former Uttarakhand Chief Minister has described Jeena as a hardworking individual and expressed disbelief in the allegations while saying that he would feel ashamed if evidence of wrongdoing is established.
Trivedi's comments come amid ongoing political debate over the integrity of competitive examinations and recruitment processes across states.
The ED investigation into the 2016 VPDO case continues.
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This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
