Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge has landed in the middle of a political controversy after his remarks on alleged irregularities in the state's police recruitment examination triggered sharp criticism
from the opposition.
Speaking to reporters, Kharge said, "I will resign, but first let the aspirants go on a 25-day hunger strike, lathicharge them, and then I will resign, just as they did after the NEET paper leak."
His comments, apparently referring to protests over the NEET examination controversy, quickly drew reactions from opposition leaders, who accused the minister of trivialising the concerns of thousands of candidates.
Examination row sparks protests
The controversy erupted after students appearing for the police constable recruitment examination at the Tikota Sharadamba PU College examination centre complained that the numbers printed on their OMR sheets did not match the numbers on their question papers. The confusion prompted several candidates to walk out of the examination hall in protest.
Many aspirants alleged that the question papers and OMR sheets were distributed late and that authorities failed to address their concerns. One of the students claimed that nearly 99 per cent of the candidates at the centre refused to take the examination and demanded a fresh test.
"We are seeking justice from Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Home Minister Priyank Kharge. We have suffered a massive setback. We approached the district administration and police officials, but nobody gave us a satisfactory answer," a student told news agency ANI, adding that the candidates would continue their agitation until their demands were addressed.
Authority rejects allegations
However, the Executive Director of the Karnataka Examinations Authority dismissed the allegations of discrepancies. The official clarified that there was no requirement for the OMR sheet number and the question paper number to be identical.
According to the authority, candidates were instead required to fill in the question paper series code and version code in the designated section of the OMR sheet.
Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, Chalavadi Narayan Swamy, attacked Kharge over the controversy and questioned his handling of the issue. He alleged that the minister had repeatedly downplayed several controversies and demanded an explanation regarding the examination row.
Cabinet expansion speculation
The political controversy has unfolded amid speculation over an imminent expansion of the Karnataka cabinet. Reports citing sources have suggested that around 20 ministers could be inducted into the cabinet, with the swearing-in ceremony likely to take place later in the day. However, the state government has not issued any official confirmation.
Commenting on the cabinet expansion, Kharge said the party leadership would take the final decision and emphasised that the Congress had a large pool of legislators from different regions and communities, making the selection process a challenging one.
