CHANDIGARH: Cornered by 25 MLAs of opposition, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday defended his government, Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) and Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) over allegations into the latest cash-for-job scam.
During the second day of the winter session of Haryana legislative assembly, 25 MLAs of the opposition party, including 23 from Congress, Abhay Chautala (INLD) and Balraj Singh Kundu (independent), moved an adjournment motion on the issue.
Debate on the issue went on for over three-and-a-half hours. “If you trust me, trust the agency I am trusting. The day this agency (state vigilance bureau) will express inability, I will put the next best agency on the job,” Khattar said.
Congress’s Kiran Choudhry started the discussion, asking on why an officer like Anil Nagar (then deputy secretary, HPSC) had been deployed. She also sought a clarification on why the government was not taking any action against HPSC chairman Alok Verma. Choudhry demanded a probe by the CBI under the supervision of a sitting judge of the Punjab and Haryana high court.
Her party colleague and Rohtak MLA B B Batra questioned the delay in action against Verma, saying, “I too have held the post of HPSC chairman. Each and every decision is taken after passing a resolution by the full quorum of commission. Can you provide details of any such move about Nagar?” Batra sought disbanding of the commission, as was done in 2007. Abhay and Kundu too objected to the posting of Nagar in HPSC. “What was the reason that Nagar (the officer was dismissed from service on December 7), who faced serious allegations of corruption in job scams in education board, was rewarded with this posting? Why was he given this posting?” said Abhay.
There was commotion when BJP MLA Rao Abhay Singh Yadav attempted to support Khattar after Batra raised the issue of resolution by HPSC chairman and its powers. In his reply, Khattar said there was no complaint of paper leak in the HPSC. “As for giving power to Nagar, it was done since secretary Bhupinder Singh had recused by saying that two of his family members were appearing in dental surgeon and HCS (preliminary) exams. As for the post of deputy secretary, it has been there in the commission since 2012,’’ he said.
Khattar defended HSSC and its chairperson. “I am not here to expose what happened during the Congress regime. In HSSC, all wrongs are being probed by police. Also, 57 police cases have been registered and 432 persons have been arrested so far by police in cases related to HSSC. These cases are registered by HSSC only and investigation is in progress. We will not spare anybody found involved,” said Khattar.
