The issue of alleged fixing of examination centre and tampering of admit card by Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Ramesh Majhi, now appearing for the Plus III Examination under the Brahmapur University, rocked the Assembly on Saturday with opposition Congress members demanding an high level inquiry, preferably by the Crime Branch, on the issue and resignation of Majhi.
They also demanded the sacking of Higher Education Minister Badrinaryan Patra for his alleged role in helping his colleague, violating the existing rule, besides for his complicity in Plus II Examinations question paper leak.
However, the Higher Education Minister Badrinayaran Patra rejected the demand for a Crime Branch inquiry on the alleged irregularities in the conduct of examination. The examination was conducted in a fair manner as per the existing rules and the Government has no role in the examination process. Majhi, an examinee, had not misutilised his official position in deciding the examination centre, Patra said categorically.
Patra dared the Opposition to prove his involvement in the question paper leak issue and examination centre fixing and said if the Opposition succeeded, he would take ‘sanyas’ from politics. The Minister clarified that Minister Majhi was appearing the Plus III examination with honours in political science as a registered student under the distance education programme of the Brahmapur University.
Of the 27 students appearing the examination under distance mode, Majhi’s roll number was the last. After 26 students were accommodated in one room to appear the examination, Majhi being a lone honours candidate, was given one room to write the test, he clarified.
Participating in the discussion, Congress member Santosh Singh Saluja said Majhi had fixed the centre for appearing the Plus three examinations in Panabeda College, which had been set up by his father. He questioned the propriety of the Minister Majhi to appear the examinations at the college where he himself is the president of the managing committee.
He said the admit card issued in favour of the Minister was tampered with. Saluja continued that at first Dabugaon Bhairavi College was printed as the examination centre on the admit card of the Minister but later the name of Panabeda College was mentioned in it. Saluja said a separate room was allotted for Majhi to write the examination and the staff members appointed by him were the invigilators.
He questioned the transparency in the system and demanded the resignation of both the Sports and Youth Affairs Minister and the Higher Education Minister.
Supporting Saluja, leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh , Surendra Prasad Paramanik, Gobardhaan Das, Rajendra Chhatria and Independent Member Pratap Sarangi alleged that the Sports Minister by utilizing his position had managed to change the examination centre to the college where he is the president of the managing committee. He was allowed to appear the examination in a single room with all facilities including coolers while other 26 other examinees were appearing the examination in one room.
However, Treasury Bench members Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, Manohar Randhari, Jhina Hikaka and Raghuraman Padal alleged that since the Minister was a tribal and wanted to get degree by pursuing higher education, the Opposition members were selectively targeting him by bringing false charges. However, they defended that the Minister was not extended any favour in appearing the examination violating the law and examination rules.