Page 43 - June2018

cash-for-jobs scandal

the matter and action against the Haryana advocate general is also for getting them selected for gov-
culprits. being sought, said Ram Bilas Shar- ernment jobs. The SIT later recov-
According to R S Chaudhary, a ma. He said that HSSC issues direc- ered `2 lakh from the residence of
former bureaucrat, and national tions to a company to set the paper one of the accused-a HSSC assistant.
secretary of INLD, the decision to and instructs it to abstain from us- AICC. At that time too the opposition
suspend the HSSC chairman was an ing objectionable language for any parties had demanded a thorough
eyewash because his appointment community, caste, organi sation or probe into the matter. In fact, the
is anyway contractual in nature. group. He said that the concerned INLD had demanded a CBI probe
“HSSC is already under fire for cash company has tendered an apology, in the ‘cash for jobs’ scam. “HSSC
for jobs scam. I feel that instead of but the government has blacklisted should be dissolved immediately
suspension, the controversial chair- it along with the publisher from all and investigation into the scam
man should have been straightway future assignments. must be handed over to the CBI,’’
fired by the Chief Minister Manohar A spokesperson of Rashtriya Leader of Opposition Abhay Singh
Lal. This was necessary to uphold Brahmin Sangh said, “The state gov- Chautala demanded.
the dignity of the institution,” said R ernment by asking questions like AICC Media-in-Charge and sen-
S Chaudhary. this seems hell-bent to divide the ior Congress leader Randeep Singh
Upset over the controversy, society. This is highly condemnable. Surjewala had accused Haryana
AAP’s Panchkula district president The question asked in the exam is an Chief Minister Manohar Lal of pro-
Yogesh Sharma said it was most insult to the community,’’ he said.’’ tecting the accused in the ‘cash for
unfortunate that the HSSC had be- Just a month ago a shameless jobs’ scam. “If the CM does not sack
smirched the image of a community the HSSC immediately and order
like this. He demanded strict action an enquiry by two sitting judges of
against the culprits. HSSC is embroiled in the Punjab and Haryana High Court
Former Chief Minister of Hary- then it will be understood that the
ana and senior leader of the Con- another controversy kingpins of the scam have flour-
gress, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and over a crude and ished under the protection of Har-
AICC Spokesman Randeep Singh yana CM,’’ Surjewala had said. HPCC
Surjewala also condemned the in- derogatory question spokesman Rann Singh Mann too
cident, saying it was in a very bad asked about the had demanded an enquiry by a sit-
taste and should not have happened ting High Court judge.
if responsible people were handling Brahmin community Led by AAP Haryana president
the issue. in a written test Naveen Jaihind and Panchkula dis-
The government did decide to trict president Yogesh Sharma, AAP
conduct an inquiry, preferably by a conducted by the had held a protest against the HSSC
retired high court judge, to find out commission job scam in front of the HSSC Board
how the question sneaked into the office in Panchkula carrying posters
test paper and also register an FIR and banners and forming a human
against the Delhi-based company deed of the HSSC had come to light chain to demonstrate a sale of jobs.
that got the contract to set the ques- when its employees were caught The rot in the system is deep
tion paper, the paper-setter, and the selling jobs in the infamous ‘cash for rooted. The probe in the ‘Cash for
publisher. But all these were dam- jobs’ scam. It was the Flying Squad job’ scam as well as the controver-
age control measures to assuage the of the Haryana Chief Minister on sial question issue may indict some
feelings and sentiments of the Brah- April 5 which raided and unearthed officials of the HSSC. But the ques-
min community in the state which the job racket, being run by a group tion is whether the system will be
has been up in arms ever since. of employees of the Haryana Staff cleansed or not. The complete sys-
Incidentally, it was Haryana’s Ed- Selection Commission (HSSC) and tem from top to bottom needs to
ucation Minister Ram Bilas Sharma other departments. be overhauled. Mere action against
who on behalf of the Brahmin com- Their brokers were also held. The a few lower category officials will
munity raised the issue before Chief scam was linked to the appoint- not be sufficient. Only if the suspen-
Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. Shar- ments to the posts of drivers, clerks sion of the HSSC Chairman and the
ma told the media in Chandigarh and nurses, advertised by the com- probe into the scam leads to the
that the faux pas by the HSSC was mission over a period of one-and-a- cleansing of the system will the
serious and in very bad taste. He said half years. The flying squad arrested entire exercise be fruitful. Other-
a retired high court judge was likely eight employees at the HSSC office, wise, things will remain the same.
to investigate the issue as HSSC is an Sector 4, Panchkula. The accused
autonomous body. The advice of the used to take money from aspirants letters@tehelka.com

Tehelka / 15 june 2018 43 www.Tehelka.com

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