Chandigarh, Nov 11 (IANS) Amid the controversy over the results of the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) Main Examination, former State BJP President Sunil Jakhar on Wednesday voiced his support for the candidates and called for an impartial and transparent inquiry.
He said it “seems lot of money has changed hands in the selection process”.
Jakhar noted that before the elections, AAP Convener Arvind Kejriwal used to say he was an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer and knew where to get money.
He accused Kejriwal of now using the PPSC to auction off government jobs and, with them, the future of the state’s youth.
He demanded the Union government order a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe and suspend the remaining stages of recruitment, including interviews, until the questions raised are satisfactorily answered.
Speaking to the media here, Jakhar said the candidates’ main demand was for the commission to publish the names and categories of those who qualified, along with their roll numbers and other relevant selection details, so that the process could be scrutinised.
He called for an impartial inquiry into the reported clusters of roll numbers in the results and into how several candidates seated in the same row had qualified.
Jakhar asked why the state government had yet to publish the names of the successful candidates if everything was in order.
He said that releasing the list with names would clarify whether it included the son and daughter-in-law of an officer currently in jail, as well as the children of other influential people.
He cited claims that the couple had received grace marks that enabled them to clear the preliminary examination under the sports quota.
He said he had learned that the officer held an influential post in the relevant authority when their sports certificates were issued.
Jakhar added that the deadline for meeting the Class 10 Punjabi language requirement had been extended repeatedly after the recruitment examination process began.
According to the BJP leader, the extensions were granted after the previous PPSC Chairperson had retired and before the new chairperson took office.
He also called for an inquiry into a tehsildar’s claims about his son’s selection, saying such matters raised questions about the credibility of the PPSC and the Punjab government.
Questioning the silence of AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, Jakhar asked why those who had organised a series of protests over the NEET examination controversy were now silent while, in his words, Punjab’s youth were being robbed of their rights.
He asked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann that he himself would be responsible for the matter.
Candidates Abhishek and Rankeerat Singh also raised concerns about how the examination was conducted and evaluated. They asked why the roll numbers of 86 of the 751 successful candidates appeared in consecutive clusters at several points on the list.
They sought details on the required qualifications of evaluators, how answer scripts were assessed by subject, the marking scheme, and the procedures for moderation and standardisation. They also asked whether the evaluation process was consistent, impartial and auditable.
–IANS
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