Pioneer News Service
Ranchi
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MLAs Hemlal Murmu and Anant Pratap Dev on Friday defended the state government’s handling of the recruitment examination controversy, saying the government could not be held responsible for an interim order passed by the High Court.
Addressing a press conference in Ranchi, the two legislators said the government had shown full sympathy towards the protesting students and had accepted their demands before reaching an agreement with them. They said it was now inappropriate for the students to target the government over a judicial decision.
Murmu and Dev said the state Cabinet had taken a decision to cancel examinations conducted through TDPL, following which the JSSC CGL examination was also cancelled. They said candidates subsequently approached the High Court, which, while hearing their petitions, stayed the government’s decision and directed the state to file a counter-affidavit.
“The judiciary is doing its job. The government took its decision and the court has taken its decision. Holding the government responsible for the court’s order is not justified,” the JMM legislators said.
They alleged that the student movement was being given a political direction by what they described as coaching mafia interests and a BJP-backed campaign. They criticised the decision to burn effigies and said such actions amounted to politicising the students’ movement.
The legislators alleged that the entire campaign was being conducted at the behest of the BJP and warned that the people of Jharkhand would reject what they termed a “conspiracy” against the state government.
On the ongoing CID investigation into alleged examination irregularities, the MLAs said the investigating agency had been given four months to complete its probe. They claimed that the investigation was already yielding results, with several accused persons having been arrested.
Responding to BJP leader Babulal Marandi’s demand for a CBI probe, Hemlal Murmu questioned the outcome of earlier CBI investigations into the first and second JPSC examinations.
He said repeated demands for CBI probes did not necessarily guarantee a speedy resolution, pointing out that several cases investigated by the central agency had remained pending for 15 to 20 years without reaching a conclusion.
Murmu argued that the state CID was already making progress in the present case and said the government would wait for the investigation to establish the facts.
