Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], June 20 : Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur on Friday launched a blistering attack on the Congress-led state government over the recent allegations of mass cheating and irregularities in the police recruitment examination, calling it "a betrayal of the youth of Himachal Pradesh".
Thakur demanded that the government immediately constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the scam and that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu resign on moral grounds.
"The entire recruitment process has been reduced to a mockery. Videos show blatant cheating, discussions inside exam halls, and candidates solving papers in groups. This is not just mismanagement, it's criminal. If the Chief Minister has any moral standing left, he should step down," Thakur told reporters at a press conference in Shimla.
Thakur called the police recruitment drive the only significant recruitment drive in the past two and a half years of the Congress government's tenure, claiming that the entire process was compromised.
"This government shut down the Staff Selection Commission. After two and a half years, it held one police recruitman, which is now under serious question. The candidates have submitted video proof of cheating taking place inside examination halls in Shimla, Palampur Road, and Chamba," he said.
"If the government claims transparency, then why not release the CCTV footage from these centres? What are they afraid of?," Thakur asked.
He further said that there were allegations of mobile phones being allowed inside the examination halls, and that no invigilators stopped students from openly cheating.
The former CM pointed out that two individuals, Vikram and Balwinder from the Dehra area of Kangra district, were arrested in the case. But he added that just two arrests cannot cleanse a scam of this magnitude.
"Reports suggest that candidates were called to Haryana and promised success in the exam in exchange for lakhs of rupees. Transactions of up to Rs 35 lakh have been cited. Who made these promises? Who were these candidates? At least 15-16 people were summoned for investigation," he said, adding that the matter must be investigated at a state-wide level.
"In our tenure, when similar allegations emerged, we immediately cancelled the exam and announced a SIT investigation the very next morning. We even handed over cases to the CBI when required. This government is silent and evasive." Thakur added.
Thakur warned that candidates feared the CCTV recordings could be destroyed, much like the pen drive in the Vimal Negi case, which was formatted and later recovered.
Revisiting the promises made by Congress before the 2022 Assembly elections, Thakur said, Congress's 'guarantees' are now exposed, no jobs, no action.
"They promised 5 lakh government jobs in 5 years, and 1 lakh in the first year. But now the Chief Minister says they never made such a promise. I was in the Assembly when the Congress Guarantee Document was read out, which clearly mentioned the 5 lakh jobs. Why the contradiction now?," Thakur said.
He alleged that most appointments during the current regime were the result of recruitment processes initiated by the previous BJP government, for which budgetary and financial clearances were already secured.
"These are not new jobs. The only new recruitment was for police, and look what happened. Even in the nursing recruitment drive, Congress is outsourcing jobs through agencies linked to their own leaders and relatives," he said.
Thakur also criticised the outsourcing model, saying it was being used to bypass transparency and provide jobs to Congress loyalists.
He also attacked the use of outsourcing agencies in nursing and other sectors, alleging that these agencies are run by Congress leaders and their relatives, with youth getting only Rs 6,000 out of the Rs 10,000 allotted per position.
"Candidates are getting Rs 6,000 while Rs 10,000 is allocated, where is the rest of the money going? To the agencies, which are run by Congress leaders. Even in my own constituency, such practices are taking place." He said.
Thakur said the Congress government is struggling with internal trust issues, pointing to the resignation of a young minister and the subsequent resignation of his father, a senior cabinet minister.
"Despite having a majority, their own MLAs have no faith in the leadership. In such a situation, the Chief Minister has no moral right to remain in office," he said.
Thakur said that despite the central government providing Rs 2,006.40 crore in additional disaster relief, and over Rs 4,000 crore in total, the state government has failed to distribute aid effectively.
"Even 93,000 homes were sanctioned, but affected people are still homeless. The state government is thankless and shameless. PM Modi stood with the people of Himachal, but the state administration continues to falter." He said.
Thakur demanded that the results of the police recruitment examination be withheld until the investigation is complete, and a statewide probe under an SIT be ordered immediately.
"This government has completely collapsed on the employment front. If serious allegations like cheating during exams are not probed, it sends a dangerous signal to the youth. I demand the Chief Minister step down and let an impartial SIT uncover the truth," Thakur said.