The alleged scam in recruitment of police sub-inspectors generated heat in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday with the Opposition Congress members staging a dharna in the House seeking a judicial probe and demanding the resignation of Home Minister Araga Jnanendra.
Even before Home Minister Araga Jnanendra began his reply to the debate on the PSI recruitment scam, Congress members trouped into the well of the House and commenced a dharna against the government accusing it of trying to protect those behind the scam.
The protesting members started shouting slogans against the government forcing the Home Minister to wind up his reply.
Mr. Jnanendra said the government had an open mind on the allegations of irregularities and that it was not trying to protect anyone. He said he was proud that the inquiry was being conducted in a transparent manner and noted that 26 police personnel and 48 candidates had been arrested so far.
Taunting the Congress, he said, “Congress worker and bluetooth kingpin (one of methods of malpractices adopted in PSI recruitment examination was use of bluetooth) R.D. Patil had been arrested and his bank accounts with more than ₹8 crore deposits had been seized. Gold from his bank lockers too had been seized.”
He said 16 members had been arrested with respect to the teachers’ recruitment scam that took place during the erstwhile Congress regime. He alleged that a scam had taken place in the recruitment of PSI recruitment during the erstwhile Congress regime too, but the then dispensation had failed to act.
Speaker Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri adjourned the House for the day as the protesting members continued to shout slogans against the government.
Earlier, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah urged that Home Minister to own up moral responsibility and quit.
He also endorsed the views of JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy to send a strong message to youth who are now under the impression that they cannot get government jobs without paying bribes. He also suggested that the government should consider segregating genuine meritorious candidates from those who indulged in scam and try to give them justice by protecting their interests instead of plainly quashing the entire list of selected candidates.
Notice to Priyank
Mr. Siddaramaiah and other Congress leaders took serious exception to the government issuing notice to Congress MLA Priyank Kharge, asking him to appear before the investigating agency, for addressing a press conference about the PSI recruitment scam. “The government is targeting those who raise their voice against the scam rather than focusing on bringing those indulged in scam to books,” he alleged, and wondered why the government had not issued notice to senior BJP leader Basanagouda Patil Yatnal who had made serious allegations with respect to the scam.
