Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s government has been at the receiving end from the Opposition BJP when it comes to matters pertaining to the governance and development of the state. Gehlot too has been unsparing in his criticism of the BJP and the Narendra Modi-led central government over a host of matters.
However, in an unusual break from the past, the state unit of the BJP has come out in support of the Ashok Gehlot government, setting aside the fact that they are set to face off in one of the most highly anticipated poll contests less than a year from now.
The BJP’s support came as the Gehlot government, which has stood in strong opposition to such a move in other states, sent bulldozers to demolish a coaching institute run by the main accused in the question paper leak case pertaining to the recruitment of second-grade teachers in the state.
Senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Assembly, Gulab Chand Kataria, welcomed the move to demolish the coaching centre.
“Whether it is Gehlot sahab or anyone, I am in the favour of running bulldozers in such cases. The expenses incurred till now should also be incurred by attaching the properties of the accused,” Kataria told The Indian Express on Monday.
Ashok Gehlot’s ‘change of heart’
The decision by the Gehlot government comes in stark contrast to the Chief Minister’s stand on similar actions undertaken by the BJP-led governments in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
The message from Gehlot when bulldozers were rolled out in the states governed by Yogi Adityanath and Shivraj Singh Chouhan to control the law and order situation in UP and MP, respectively, was loud and clear. Not even the Prime Minister, let alone CMs, had the right to demolish the house of an accused till the charge against them was proven, he had asserted.
However, with the demolition of the coaching institute run by Suresh Dhaka, Bhupendra Saran and other accused in the case of leak of the paper by the Jaipur Development Authority, the Gehlot government has enabled Rajasthan to join UP and MP in the list of states where the government has resorted to such action.
Behind Gehlot’s U-turn: Embarrassment over a string of paper leaks
Gehlot’s change of heart, however, isn’t sudden. Over the past few months, his government has been battling the charge that it has been ineffective in checking what has been a string of exam paper leaks in the state.
In September 2021, the paper for the Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers (REET) Level II Exam, one of the most popular government recruitment tests in the state, was found to have been leaked right from the office of the Education Department.
The exam had to be eventually cancelled and held afresh after the government’s flip-flop in admitting the leak from its end resulted in massive protests in the state. Prior to the REET paper leak, the question paper for the sub-inspector recruitment exam had also leaked.
In May 2022, the paper for the constable recruitment exam was leaked. This, despite the government passing the Rajasthan Public Examination (Measures for Prevention of Unfair Means in Recruitment) Bill, 2022, with provisions for punishment for offences such as the use of unfair means, question paper leaks and cheating in public recruitment examinations.
Then again in December 2022, the Udaipur police found that the paper for the second-grade teacher recruitment exam had leaked, leading to yet another cancellation and more embarrassment for the Gehlot government.
Rajasthan paper leak case: What has happened so far?
In December last year, on the date the exam was to be held, it emerged that some candidates had accessed the paper before the examination. A total of 55 people were arrested by the Rajasthan Police and the examination was subsequently postponed.
Early on Monday morning, the enforcement wing of the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) sent its teams to Gopalpura bypass road in Jaipur to demolish the Adhigham coaching centre, an institute which is run by Suresh Dhaka, Bhupendra Saran and others who are the main accused in the recent question paper leak case. Dhaka and Saran are currently absconding and are wanted by the Rajasthan Police.
“The immediate reason for the action is their involvement in the case,” Additional SP Raghuveer Saini, Chief Controller (Enforcement), JDA, said. “The basis for the demolition is 20-ft, 15-ft and 10-ft-long setbacks which amount to violation of building bylaws. The five-storey structure is an illegal commercial building encroaching on the road,” Saini said, adding that a notice was issued to the accused prior to the demolition.