Bhopal, June 27 (IANS) The Madhya Pradesh Congress on Saturday launched its ‘Yuva Swabhiman Cyclothon’ campaign and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state and Central governments of failing the youth through alleged examination scams, paper leaks, delayed recruitment and rising unemployment.
Addressing a press conference at the Pradesh Congress Committee office here, state Congress president Jitu Patwari, accompanied by former ministers Jaivardhan Singh and Priyavrat Singh, said the campaign would take the issues of students and unemployed youth to every district of the state.
Patwari alleged that repeated irregularities in competitive examinations had destroyed the confidence of lakhs of job aspirants. He claimed Madhya Pradesh had become a “nursery of recruitment scams”, referring to the Vyapam scam, the Patwari recruitment controversy, and the alleged irregularities in the nursing examination.
He alleged that the future of crores of students had been pushed into darkness, adding that paper leaks and recruitment scams had become routine while deserving candidates continued to wait for jobs.
Targeting the Mohan Yadav government, Patwari claimed nearly 4.87 lakh government posts were lying vacant despite promises of large-scale recruitment. He also accused the government of manipulating unemployment data instead of creating employment opportunities.
Patwari said the Congress would demand a legally binding annual recruitment calendar, a one-time examination fee for candidates, independent recruitment commissions, complete transparency in examinations, special courts to fast-track paper-leak cases, and the restoration of student union elections. He also pitched for a Uniform Education Code to ensure equal access to education.
Former minister Jaivardhan Singh alleged that irregularities in competitive examinations had increased after the formation of the National Testing Agency (NTA).
He accused the BJP government of allowing corruption to creep into the education system through repeated paper leaks and examination controversies, adding that the education system had lost credibility because of repeated scams and that students and their families were paying the price while governments had failed to protect their future.
Another former minister, Priyavrat Singh, said the ‘Yuva Swabhiman Cyclothon’ would become the voice of students and unemployed youth. He said the campaign would raise issues related to education, recruitment and employment across Madhya Pradesh and strengthen the Congress’s outreach among young voters.
–IANS
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