Rajasthan
Exam paper leaks: MP Kirori Lal’s protest brings Congress, BJP leaders together | Jaipur News
JAIPUR: BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kirori Lal Meena has forced his party and members of the Congress to come together on the issue of the exam paper leaks. His sit-in at Jaipur’s Ghat-Ki-Ghuni in his individual capacity since January 24 to demand a fair investigation into paper leaks has also generated support from his arch-rival and former chief minister Vasundhara Raje.
The state unit has always maintained a distance from Meena’s lone protests, demonstrations and sit-ins. Former DGP and MLA Harish Meena was among the first Congress leaders to visit Meena and supported his cause on Saturday.
The state has seen 16 paper leaks of recruitment exams in the last four years in which over 50 lakh students have appeared. Since the leak of the REET level II exam in September 2021, the party has made it one of its flagship issues. It held a series of protests and demonstrations and even its central leaders on a visit to Jaipur, including national president JP Nadda, have not left any occasion to attack the Gehlot government over the issue.
Meena grabbed the issue effectively with his style of politics since last year. He led protest marches and demonstrations and made astonishing claims in his five press conferences two after the leak of the Grade-II level exam paper leak in November 2022 struck his chord with the unemployed youths.
“The party didn’t give him the platform to raise the paper leak issue which is a game-changer in the elections. Meena’s activities were in an individual capacity and even he held all the press conferences at private places as he was officially not asked to do it,” said a party source.
The decision to take off the rally from Dausa to Jaipur on January 24 was also not endorsed by the party. The kind of support Meena has been receiving from the youths has forced the party leaders to endorse the campaign. Deputy leader of Opposition Rajendra Singh Rathore was the first top leader to drop by to extend his support. Followed by Union minister Sanjeev Balyan, former BJP state presidents Arun Chaturvedi and Ashok Parnami, MLAs Vasudev Devnani and Gopi Meena to name a few along with many party leaders.
Why has BJP not officially endorsed his movement? Meena replied, “I am clear that no one is above the party. PM Narendra Modi during the meeting with MPs has said that it is not necessary that every issue/matter be raised on a party platform.” He further clarified that before starting the campaign, he took the permission from state incharge Arun Singh. “Also, when police stopped the rally at Ghat-Ki-Ghuni, I called our president Satish Poonia and told him that I would like to sit in here until the demands are met. He approved it,” said Meena.
He called the protest site open for the leaders of any political party including the Congress and claimed that he had received calls from over a dozen Congress MLAs wanting him to continue with the demand of CBI inquiry on paper leaks.
The state unit has always maintained a distance from Meena’s lone protests, demonstrations and sit-ins. Former DGP and MLA Harish Meena was among the first Congress leaders to visit Meena and supported his cause on Saturday.
The state has seen 16 paper leaks of recruitment exams in the last four years in which over 50 lakh students have appeared. Since the leak of the REET level II exam in September 2021, the party has made it one of its flagship issues. It held a series of protests and demonstrations and even its central leaders on a visit to Jaipur, including national president JP Nadda, have not left any occasion to attack the Gehlot government over the issue.
Meena grabbed the issue effectively with his style of politics since last year. He led protest marches and demonstrations and made astonishing claims in his five press conferences two after the leak of the Grade-II level exam paper leak in November 2022 struck his chord with the unemployed youths.
“The party didn’t give him the platform to raise the paper leak issue which is a game-changer in the elections. Meena’s activities were in an individual capacity and even he held all the press conferences at private places as he was officially not asked to do it,” said a party source.
The decision to take off the rally from Dausa to Jaipur on January 24 was also not endorsed by the party. The kind of support Meena has been receiving from the youths has forced the party leaders to endorse the campaign. Deputy leader of Opposition Rajendra Singh Rathore was the first top leader to drop by to extend his support. Followed by Union minister Sanjeev Balyan, former BJP state presidents Arun Chaturvedi and Ashok Parnami, MLAs Vasudev Devnani and Gopi Meena to name a few along with many party leaders.
Why has BJP not officially endorsed his movement? Meena replied, “I am clear that no one is above the party. PM Narendra Modi during the meeting with MPs has said that it is not necessary that every issue/matter be raised on a party platform.” He further clarified that before starting the campaign, he took the permission from state incharge Arun Singh. “Also, when police stopped the rally at Ghat-Ki-Ghuni, I called our president Satish Poonia and told him that I would like to sit in here until the demands are met. He approved it,” said Meena.
He called the protest site open for the leaders of any political party including the Congress and claimed that he had received calls from over a dozen Congress MLAs wanting him to continue with the demand of CBI inquiry on paper leaks.
