'Vyapam Scam 2.0': Rahul Alleges Fraud In MP Recruitment Exam, Slams Shivraj Govt

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday attacked the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government in Madhya Pradesh and called the recruitment exam for patwaris (revenue department officials) a 'scam'. His reaction came after unemployed youth protested in several parts of the state, including Bhopal and Indore, against alleged irregularities in the exam conducted on April 26 by the Madhya Pradesh Employees Selection Board. 

"In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP has only stolen from the youth! Patwari exam scam is Vyapam scam 2.0, which is playing with the future of lakhs of youth of the state. Earlier, BJP stole the elected government of the people, and now it is stealing the rights of the students and employment from the youth," Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

मध्य प्रदेश में भाजपा ने युवाओं से बस चोरी की है!

पटवारी परीक्षा घोटाला, व्यापम घोटाला 2.0 है, जो प्रदेश के लाखों युवाओं के भविष्य के साथ खिलवाड़ है।

पहले, भाजपा ने जनता की चुनी हुई सरकार चोरी की, अब विद्यार्थियों से उनका हक़, युवाओं से रोज़गार चोरी कर रही है। pic.twitter.com/ZPLL9pPwjG — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 13, 2023

The Vyapam scam was an admission and recruitment racket that rocked the state a decade ago and made national headlines. 

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Madhya Pradesh of shying away from ordering a probe into a recruitment exam for patwaris.

In a tweet, Vadra said, "News of another scam was coming from BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh. It is news of bidding in lakhs for getting (government) jobs. Why is the government shying away from ordering a probe into it?"

"Why are the BJP leaders accused of being connected to recruitment scams? There are scams and scams for jobs. Why is the BJP government pushing the future of the lakhs of youth in the dark?" she asked.

मध्य प्रदेश की भाजपा सरकार के शासन में एक बार फिर भर्ती में घोटाले की खबरें आ रही हैं।

नौकरियों के लिए पदों की लाखों रुपए में बोली लगाए जाने की खबरें हैं और सरकार जांच कराने से क्यों कतरा रही है? भर्ती घोटालों से जुड़े होने के आरोप में भाजपा नेताओं का नाम ही क्यों सामने आता है?… — Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) July 13, 2023

Protests calling for the scrapping of the exam and a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into alleged irregularities were held in front of the Bhopal office of the MPESB, formerly known as Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal or Vyapam, and at the Indore collectorate.

After a Hindi newspaper carried out a report on the exam, Congress latched onto the issue and called it another 'Vyapam scam'. As per the report, seven out of 10 selected candidates had appeared at the same examination centre, which it claimed was located in a college run by a BJP legislator.

State Home Minister Narottam Mishra, also the spokesperson for the Shivraj Singh Chohan government, however, has denied the allegations.

The issue has come to the fore amid the monsoon session of the MP Assembly. The five-day session, which started on Tuesday, ended three days ahead of schedule on Wednesday.