NDA demands sacking of Bihar ministers in paper leak case

PATNA: Opposition NDA in both Houses of Bihar Legislature today demanded resignation of two state ministers in the wake of their names appearing in the police probe into the Bihar State Staff Selection Commission (BSSC) paper leak incident.

According to media reports, the Special Investigation Team has submitted a report to the Special Vigilance court in which names of two ministers -- Krishnandan Prasad Varma and Alok Mehta -- have appeared among others on the basis of call details of arrested Secretary of Bihar State Staff Selection Commission (BSSC), Parmeshwar Ram.

While Varma is from JD(U) and is the Law and Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) minister in the Nitish Kumar Cabinet, Alok Mehta of RJD is the Cooperative Minister.

Besides them, names of former MP and RJD leader Raghubansh Prasad Singh, JD(U) MLA Ram Balak Singh and BJP MLA Suresh Kumar Sharma have appeared in the scam, the reports said.

Legislators of BJP and its NDA partners trooped into the well in the state Assembly as well the Legislative Council demanding resignation of the two ministers.

BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters that the ministers concerned should be removed immediately.

He further alleged that OSD of Health minister Tej Pratap Yadav had given three to four instructions over the phone to the Commission officials in the recruitment of ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) conducted by BSSC earlier.

"If a minister telephones any official or sends recommendation it is taken as order of the government," he charged.

His party colleague and Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Prem Kumar said, "The Chief Minister had ignored the opposition protest in the BSSC paper leak matter earlier, asking them to reveal names of ministers in the scam ... now the names are out. Why is he not sacking the two ministers?"