Teachers recruitment case: Priyanka asks UP CM to take responsibility, demands 'transparent action'

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday demanded that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath must take responsibility in the matter relating to the appointment of 69,000 teachers and take "strong action" with transparency to ensure justice is done.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday demanded that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath must take responsibility in the matter relating to the appointment of 69,000 teachers and take "strong action" with transparency to ensure justice is done. The Congress has been strongly raising the issue after the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday stayed the appointment of 69,000 assistant basic teachers in the state and Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday interacted through video conferencing with people who competed in the examination.

Noting that media reports have pointed to a "massive fraud" in these examinations, Priyanka Gandhi, speaking via a video link on Facebook after the session, said that since she started working in Uttar Pradesh, she has observed that in these types of examinations, instances of cheating, corruption and fraud have been found. "I want to ask that if these exams have been carried out in a transparent manner, why are people getting arrested. If the government is saying that there is a problem in one centre then arrest the persons from there but why are issues cropping up again and again, why are students worried over it, why are they hassled, why do the rules keep changing," she said.

If change is not demanded, then this will become the norm, Priyanka Gandhi said. "The UP government is already thinking that no matter if there is a scam or corruption, nobody should raise their voice. They are advertising that cases will be slapped against those who raise their voice," she alleged. "So, either we stay quiet or we raise our voice and demand accountability from the government. The UP chief minister must tell us whether he is taking responsibility or not. Strong action must be taken with full transparency. This is about the future of the state," the Congress leader asserted.

"Mr chief minister these are your kids also. We must together in a constructive manner find a solution and this is not about politics. This is about the future of a generation," she said. "This is happening in your government. Take action with transparency, be it nullifying the exam, or carrying out a thorough probe. What has hurt me the most is that the voice of these students is also not being heard. Why are you suppressing the voice of these students," she asked. Priyanka Gandhi assured those who competed in the examination and are affected by the alleged irregularities that she will raise her voice against injustice and stand with them in their struggles.

The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday stayed the appointment of 69,000 assistant basic teachers in the state, holding that there has been an 'error' in the evaluation of the question paper. The Lucknow bench of Justice Alok Mathur on June 3 had stayed the selection process, prima facie finding that certain questions and answers were 'ambiguous and wrong' and, hence, it required fresh scrutiny by the UGC.

The recruitment examination was held on January 6, 2019 and its result was declared on May 12 this year. Earlier, the Supreme Court on May 21 had asked the state government to explain the process adopted for the appointment through a chart, posting the matter for further hearing on July 6. It asked the Uttar Pradesh government to explain why it changed the earlier criteria of 45 per cent cut-off marks for the general category and 40 per cent for the reserved category. The UP government has challenged the high court order.