‘Why blame Bihar?’ Marandi hits back at JMM over exam mafia claims
THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK Ranchi, September 8: Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi has hit back at the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) over…
THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Ranchi, September 8: Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi has hit back at the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) over its reference to a ‘Bihar connection’ in the alleged JPSC-JSSC examination irregularities, asking why the alleged acts of individuals should be used to tarnish the image of an entire state.
Marandi’s reaction came after the JMM, in a post on X, questioned the alleged Bihar links of the “mastermind and all mafias” involved in irregularities in JPSC and JSSC examinations. The party said the network involved in allegedly compromising the future of Jharkhand’s youth would be dismantled.
Turning the argument back on the ruling party, Marandi said that if individuals from a particular state are accused of wrongdoing, they should be held accountable individually rather than the entire state being branded through a political “connection”.
‘If one person is accused, why blame the entire state?’
Marandi asked whether Bihar should be blamed if an accused happens to be from the state.
He cited alleged cases involving people from different districts of Jharkhand and asked whether the same logic would mean holding an entire district or political party responsible for the alleged actions of an individual.
“If a person from Deoghar is found to be involved in examination irregularities, will the crime be attributed to the entire Deoghar?” Marandi asked, referring to the case involving alleged JPSC-JSSC mastermind Abhay Tiwari.
He also referred to an alleged job-for-money audio involving a Giridih JMM district president and questioned whether the alleged conduct of one person could make the entire district or the JMM responsible.
Marandi further referred to other people whose names have reportedly figured in the CID probe and asked whether their respective districts would also be branded on the basis of such alleged links.
Who has been arrested from Bihar?
The JMM’s ‘Bihar connection’ remark comes at a time when the Jharkhand CID has actually arrested a Bihar resident in the JSSC-CGL investigation.
On September 7, the CID arrested Rajan Kumar, a resident of the Newara police station area of Patna district, Bihar. He is the 11th person arrested in the JSSC-CGL examination irregularities case, according to officials.
According to the CID, Kumar allegedly took several JSSC-CGL aspirants to a hotel in Niyamatpur, West Bengal, where they were allegedly made to memorise questions and answers before the examination. Investigators said some candidates subsequently gained an unfair advantage and cleared the examination.
Rajan Kumar is the Bihar resident specifically identified in the latest CID reports as having been arrested from Bihar in the JSSC-CGL case. The other 10 arrests reported so far include four successful JSSC-CGL candidates and key accused Abhay Tiwari, his wife Sushma Kumari and brother Akshay Kumar Tiwari, among others.
Abhay Tiwari, however, is a Jharkhand government employee and was arrested earlier in connection with the JPSC examination investigation; his alleged involvement was subsequently linked by investigators to the JSSC-CGL case as well.
Marandi asks: ‘What about the Kanke Road connection?’
Marandi then sought to turn the ‘connection’ argument towards the state government, raising questions over the appointment of officials to key positions in JPSC and JSSC.
He questioned who appointed L. Khiangte as JPSC chairman and who appointed Neeraj Sinha as JSSC chairman, while also raising questions over the roles of senior officials in the handling of recruitment examination controversies.
Marandi alleged that if all “connections” were to be investigated, the probe should also examine what he described as the “Kanke Road connection”.
He further questioned why action had allegedly not been taken against certain officials despite allegations relating to the handling of investigations into recruitment irregularities.
Allegations of protecting ‘big fish’
Marandi alleged that some officials had attempted to divert investigations and protect influential people. He also levelled allegations concerning the alleged destruction or removal of evidence and questioned why action had not been taken against officials he named.
These are political allegations made by Marandi and have not been independently established. The concerned officials and the state government have not responded to all the allegations in his statement.
Marandi raises ‘Bengal connection’ question
The BJP leader also referred to the alleged role of a location in West Bengal in the JSSC-CGL case.
He asked why a ‘Bengal connection’ was not being discussed when the CID itself has alleged that aspirants were taken to a hotel in Niyamatpur, West Bengal, and made to memorise examination questions and answers.
The latest arrest of Patna resident Rajan Kumar has added a new dimension to the political debate over the JMM’s ‘Bihar connection’ claim. At the same time, the CID investigation remains underway and the allegations against the arrested persons are yet to be tested in court.
JMM’s ‘Bihar connection’ claim
The JMM had posted on X thanking the Jharkhand CID and asking what the “Bihar connection” of the alleged mastermind and examination mafia was.
The party questioned how such a connection should be described if people allegedly involved in compromising the future of Jharkhand’s youth were arrested from different parts of the country but had links to Bihar.
Marandi’s response is essentially that an accused’s place of residence or alleged network cannot be equated with the guilt of an entire state.
The political battle over the JPSC-JSSC controversy is now increasingly moving beyond the alleged examination irregularities, with the ruling JMM and BJP trading charges over who should be held accountable for the recruitment mess.
