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In the run-up to the November 25 Rajasthan Assembly elections, the Opposition BJP has stepped up its attack on the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government over various paper leak scams that plagued it in the last few years.
A year after the Gehlot government was voted to power, the recruitment exam for grade-III librarians was cancelled in December 2019 over a leaked question paper. It dealt a huge blow to the nearly 55,000 candidates who had applied for 700 vacant posts.
In September 2021, the Bikaner police arrested seven persons for allegedly leaking the question paper of the sub-inspector recruitment examination. In the same month, the government suspended internet across Rajasthan to prevent cheating during the Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers (REET) -levels I and II examinations. The move sparked a huge controversy.
Following allegations of irregularities in the REET-level II exams and protests by the Opposition, the government was forced to cancel the exam once again. A police investigation revealed that one of the accused was the Jaipur exam coordinator and that the question paper had been leaked from the education department office days before the examination. This, they said, occurred, long before the government suspended the internet to prevent irregularities. Over 25 lakh candidates were taking the REET-levels I and II examinations for around 31,000 vacant posts.
In December 2022, the second grade teacher recruitment examination was cancelled after the question paper was leaked.
The repeated question paper leaks of government recruitment examinations resulted in the Congress government being at the receiving end of the Opposition fireworks.
While the Rajasthan police have arrested several people in the question paper leak cases, the BJP has consistently alleged the involvement of senior functionaries of the Congress dispensation in it.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) also got involved in its probe, raiding several people.
Earlier this week, the ED issued summons to Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra’s sons Abhilash and Avinash to appear before the agency next week in connection with the REET examination paper leak case.
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The ED conducted raids on October 26 on properties linked to Dotasra and his two sons, prompting a sharp reaction from the Congress. Chief Minister Gehlot compared the ED to a “locust swarm that comes from Pakistan and eats our crop,” alleging that “ED will finish their (BJP) crop. They are using ED like a tiddi dal”.
The ED also conducted raids on properties linked to Independent MLA Om Prakash Hudla who has been fielded by the Congress in this election.
While there was no official statement from the ED, the raids on Dotasra and Hudla were in connection with the 2021 REET paper leaks case. This was the first time that they were raided.
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