BJP accuses Jharkhand govt of bypassing tender for exam work
BJP alleges Jharkhand govt gave exam work to blacklisted firm without tender, citing probe findings.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday accused the Congress-Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) government in Jharkhand of bypassing standard procurement rules for conducting recruitment examinations. The party claimed that a company previously blacklisted was entrusted with exam-related responsibilities without any formal tender process.
Speaking at a press conference, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said the state government handed over the entire responsibility for conducting examinations to a firm identified as TDPL, despite its blacklisted status. He alleged that no tender was floated and no bidders were invited for the work.
Bhandari further claimed that the state government gave the tender to a "tainted" company, which then outsourced the work to another "dubious" entity. He said this outsourcing was done in cash, raising questions about possible corrupt financial transactions.
The allegations come amid ongoing investigations and student protests in the state. Bhandari used the occasion to target Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister Hemant Soren over the issue.
More than a dozen major recruitment exams conducted since 2014 by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission are currently under scrutiny in connection with the matter.