Congress, Independent MLAs sit on dharna in Rajasthan assembly

JAIPUR: A Congress MLA today sat on dharna in the Rajasthan Assembly against the closure of a college in Jahajpur town opened by the party's previous government, while an Independent MLA protested for a CBI probe into the functioning of Rajasthan Public Service Commission.

At the beginning of the Question Hour, Independent MLA Hanuman Beniwal told the House that Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) had failed to hold fair competitive examinations and recently an RAS exam (preliminary) and Teachers Exam-2013 were cancelled due to question paper leak and scam.

He demanded that a CBI probe be ordered into the functioning of the last ten years of RPSC and appointment of its members. But Speaker Kailash Meghwal expunged his demand.

However, later while raising another demand about providing employment to students during the Zero Hour, he also picked up on the RPSC issue and sat on a dharna in the well of the House.

On this, Parliamentary Minister R S Rathore asked Beniwal to bring the issue for debate through proper proceedings and suggested him to return to his seat.

Meanwhile, protesting against Education Minister K C Saraf's reply on the opening of colleges proposed by the previous Ashok Gehlot government, Congress MLA Dheeraj Gurjar alleged that BJP government had closed a college in his constituency of Jahajpur town in Bhilwara district due to political biasness, while others in BJP constituencies had been allowed to run.

As the Education Minister told the House that the college was shut because there was no admission in it, the Congress MLA got furious and moved to the well shouting that it was injustice.

Gurjar told the House that as a matter of fact the new government did not announce admission to the new college.

After about over 30 minutes of dharna in the well, he was assured by the Parliamentary Minister that the matter would be looked into by the Education Minister at the earliest.

During the proceedings, Education Minister's statement that the state government will withdraw a Special Litigation Petition (SLP) regrading teachers' recruitment filed in a court by the previous government drew flak from Opposition members.

NPP leader K L Meena said the government should refrain from withdrawing SLP as it would affect the prospects of SC/ST students who appeared in the teachers' examinations.