Under the pressure of the ongoing youth movement in Uttarakhand, the Chief Minister has finally been compelled to announce a CBI inquiry into the recruitment exam scam. The disciplined and united way in which the youth carried forward their struggle is commendable. The solidarity extended by democratic and pro-people forces in Uttarakhand also contributed greatly in strengthening this movement.
At the same time, the youth and all democratic, pro-people forces must remain vigilant to ensure that there is no betrayal of the spirit of the movement. It is also a fact that almost every recruitment process in Uttarakhand over the past 25 years is under suspicion and all of them require a CBI probe. Further, those Assembly Speakers who were responsible for the Assembly recruitment scam must also be held accountable. The Chairman of the Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission, G. S. Martolia, who has failed to ensure clean and transparent examinations, must be removed from his post immediately.
From the very beginning, the Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, along with the BJP and the entire administrative machinery, tried to present the scam as a case of malpractice at a single exam centre and even refused to acknowledge the fact of paper leaks. The Chief Minister went so far as to claim that those demanding a CBI probe were actually trying to stall recruitments in the state. Today, with his own announcement of a CBI probe, it is clear that this is a victory of the youth movement.
It is extremely disturbing and shameful that the youth activists and their supporters were trolled, defamed and targeted with false propaganda on social media. The smear campaign against Rajni, an activist young woman, activist-journalist Trilochan Bhatt and others who supported the movement is utterly condemnable. Strict action must be taken against those who spread these false rumours. The Chief Minister himself attempted to communalize the issue by using the phrase “nakal jihad,” which is deplorable and an insult to the dignity of the constitutional office he holds.
We demand that the state government establish a strong and effective mechanism to ensure that all competitive examinations in Uttarakhand are conducted in a fair, transparent and impartial manner.
– Indresh Maikhuri, State Secretary, CPI(ML)m Uttarakhand
