The Government on Friday failed to discuss the controversial Civil Services Aptitude Tests (CSAT) exams conducted by UPSC for the civil services aspirants due to ruckus created by the Congress-led Opposition which insisted a statement on Gaza disturbances.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh blamed the Opposition for disrupting the proceedings in the Rajya Sabha where the Government wanted to have a discussion and a statement made on the issue. A statement sans discussion was, however, made amid the din.
“We have written to the Committee to expedite the process and furnish its report at the earliest, considering the urgency of the matter,” Singh said adding the Government is fully aware of the issue and is taking a sympathetic view of the same.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Prakash Javadekar asked as to why the Opposition members were not discussing the UPSC issue and focussed only on Gaza. “Why are you not discussing it...This relates to problems of thousands of aspirants of UPSC. It is the right of Parliament to seek clarification. They are not interested in getting justice to UPSC students,” Javadekar said.
“The Government sought to place and make a statement in the Rajya Sabha on the issue of the UPSC exam. Unfortunately on account of disturbance caused by the Opposition, the discussion, which could have followed the statement, could not take place. The Government is absolutely seized of the matter. We are looking at the issue with all the sympathy, sensitivity and seriousness at our command,” said Singh talking to the reporters outside the Parliament.
Parties including Congress, RJD and Samajwadi Party had criticised the alleged “discrimination” by the UPSC against candidates opting for Hindi and regional languages as medium for Civil Services examination. The aspirants have been holding prolonged protests and resorting to hunger strike for several weeks demanding scrapping of CSAT, saying the exam pattern was putting Hindi and regional language aspirants at a disadvantage.