Job seekers stir in Gujarat:Congress will organise a march till the Assembly on Dec. 9
Government job aspirants held a protest on Wednesday against irregularities in a competitive exam conducted by a state-run board and demanded resignation of its chairman and cancellation of the recruitment test in Gujarat. Nearly 700 protesters were detained in state capital Gandhinagar, where the demonstration was held, police said. Candidates who had appeared in the November 17 written test conducted by the Gujarat Subordinate Service Selection Board (GSSSB) gathered in Gandhinagar from different parts of the state to demand cancellation of the competitive exam.
The first call to protest against the paper leak was made by Independent MLA Jignesh Mevani, who alleged that the question paper was leaked. More than 6 lakh candidates had appeared for the recruitment exam, which was conducted by the Gujarat Subordinate Services Selection Board (GSSSB) for 3,910 vacancies.
The opposition Congress, on the other hand, said it will organise a march till the Assembly complex on December 9 if the government failed to cancel the exam. Minister Jadeja accused the opposition party of misleading youths by taking the help of some “elements”. Congress has alleged large-scale irregularities in the exam to favour candidates having links with the ruling BJP. It also released CCTV footage of two exam centres in Wadhwan town of Surendranagar district to back its claims.
“When youths seek their rights and take their grievances to the government in Gandhinagar, they are detained by the police and no officer meets them. This is not acceptable in the Gujarat of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar (Vallabhbhai Patel),” Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda said.
“The Congress is with the youth in their fight for their right. On December 9, Congress workers will take along aggrieved youths and march till the Assembly complex to seek Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s reply on why the exam has not been cancelled, and who he seeks to benefit in the name of recruitment,” he added.
