CHANDIGARH: A day after skipping dharna by Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) on the premises of Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC), former chief minister and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Bhupinder Hooda led a delegation of party MLAs to Raj Bhavan on Wednesday.
Later, Hooda submitted a memorandum to governor Bandaru Dattatreya demanding complete disbanding of the HPSC and Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) and a judiciary-monitored probe into the cash-for-job scam.
Hooda also chaired a meeting of the CLP, which was attended by a majority of MLAs.
While interacting with the media, Hooda admitted that he had intentionally skipped the dharna.
“I got a call from All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Vivek Bansal ji. I am a two-time chief minister and leader of the Opposition. I can take delegations or sit on dharnas outside the offices or residences of the Governor or chief minister. Not outside the office of any agency or babus,’’ said Hooda.
“Since the chairman and members of the commission are appointed under constitutional sanctions, the governor of the state is the custodian of the Constitution as well. Hence, we have submitted the memorandum. We had disbanded the HPSC during our tenure and it was confirmed by the President of India. Now, we shall request the governor to disband the HPSC and HSSC and take confirmation from the constitutional head,” added Hooda.
Meanwhile, referring to the CLP meeting, Hooda said that it was decided that HSSC-HPSC recruitment scam, shortage of DAP and urea, law and order situation, interference in university recruitments, delay in recruitment, vacant posts of different departments, rising unemployment, inflation will be effectively raised in the session.
Besides this, the CLP also decided to bring adjournment motion on different issues like waterlogging and appointment of lambardar, he added.
The former chief minister also demanded the withdrawal of the cases registered against the farmers during the farmer’s agitation and also sought compensation and jobs to the families of the martyred farmers.
“Only an official of the rank of deputy secretary of HPSC cannot carry out such a huge recruitment scam. The recruitment mafia has sold jobs like goods at a grocery store. But now only the salesman of the shop has been caught. The owner is yet to be caught. Justice demands that first of all HPSC chairman and members of HSSC should be suspended,” he said.
Congress MLAs also submitted a memorandum to the governor and demanded a high-level impartial inquiry into the matter.
Hooda also expressed concern over the state's health system in view of the threat of a possible third wave of Covid-19.
He said that 70 per cent posts of specialist doctors in state hospitals and about 10,000 posts in the health department are vacant.
“In the last assembly session, an assurance was given by the government that a high-level committee would be formed to collect information about the deaths due to Covid-19, but the whereabouts of this committee remain unknown till date. This shows the seriousness of the government regarding health services,” he stated.
The memorandum states that apart from recruitment scam, HCS officers selected in 2004 were voluntarily selected and appointed in 2016, despite various irregularities.
These appointments were made in disregard of the inquiry report of the vigilance department and this too should be thoroughly investigated.
