RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Dec.20: The debate on the supplementary budget of Rs 2926.12 crore turned out to be a discussion on the corruption gripping the JPSC during successive governments.
The supplementary budget was passed in the absence of BJP legislators, who walked out of the house after an hour of the assembly proceedings that started after lunch at 2pm.
BJP legislator Amar Kumar Bouri while supporting the cut motion he had brought stressed the need of a CBI probe into the matter of bungling in JPPC PT and dismissal of its chairman. He said after the BJP took up the matter, 49 candidates, who were declared passed, were disqualified and irregularities started coming out.
Stressing upon the need for dismissal of JPSC chairman Amitabh Chaudhary, he said he has experience of policing and he is well aware of the way to tamper with evidence. He said in order to tamper with the evidence OMR sheets were intentionally declared missing. He said the chairman is already facing corruption charges and the matter is before a court in Jamshedpur.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren during his statement on the JPSC matter had said ‘Manuvadis’ are in trouble after scheduled tribe, scheduled caste and backward candidates qualified in big numbers in the PT and grabbed many general seats.
Taking a dig at this, he said when the CM says anything he treats himself as ‘moolvasi’ and when the BJP points out any mistake he treats the party as ‘Manuvadi. He while saying this added that the government so far has failed to define who is local and what its employment policy is.
On the statement of the CM claiming that the government has no interference in the JPSC unlike the previous government, Bouri asked whether the government has appointed Amitabh Choudhary as its chairman after verifying his land record. Pointing out favoritism in the appointment of two other members of JPSC he said one member is the wife the JMM spokesperson while another is close to one of the ministers.
Bouri said the government is escaping from the CBI probe in JPSC irregularities in the same way it attempted to escape from the CBI probe into the matter of sub-inspector Rupa Tirkey’s death which is being probed by CBI. In support of the CBI probe in the JPSC matter, he said the chief minister’s party colleagues Lobin Hembrom and Stephen Marandi had also pointed out irregularities in the JPSC PT.
Bouri said if the government has no ill intention then why did it lift the agitating candidates in the darkness of night and then released them following pressure from the BJP. On the CM’s allegation of agitators being VHP workers, Bouri said the CM should think about the deteriorating law and order of the state instead of giving such statements and counted crime figures suggesting Jharkhand has become second from the last for its poor law and order.
Legislators Lambodar Mahto, Amit Mahto, Saryu Roy and Vinod Singh also supported Bouri on the issue.
“JPSC has made a record of corruption. The agency which was blacklisted for its act of leaking papers was given a work order. Vigilance or assembly committee should probe the matter,” Labodar Mahto said.
Vinod Singh said: “Proper probe is a must when candidates in a series qualify from particular centres and then they are declared failed, no reservation is given to the physically challenged,” Singh said.
However, legislators Sudivya Kumar Sonu and Umashanker defended the government on the issue saying it was the BJP who promoted corruption in the JPSC and paved the path of appointment of several candidates who were close relatives of its chairman and members.
Following the debate, a second supplementary budget of Rs 2926.12 crore was passed by voice vote. In the supplementary budget, the highest provision of Rs 620 crore has been made in the pension head. It is followed by allocation of Rs 588 crore for the Energy Department, Rs 518 crore for Health Department, Rs 231 crore for Water Resources Department, Rs 208 crore for Home Prison and Disaster Management Department, Rs 172 crore for Higher and Technical Education Department. A provision of Rs 188 crore has been made for the Department of Women and Child Development.
