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'Women need to sleep with someone' for govt jobs: Row over Cong leaders's remark

Karnataka Congress leader Priyank Kharge

Kharge alleged that men “have to bribe" to get a government job in Karnataka while “young women have to sleep with someone" for the same. The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), has further gone ahead to demand a Special Investigation Team (SIT)'s probe into the government job recruitment process of the BJP-ruled government in Karnataka. He further sought that the government set up a fast-track court.

News agency ANI quoted Kharge, who said, “The government has decided to sell posts. If young women want a government job, they should sleep with someone. Men have to give bribes for government jobs. A minister had asked the young woman to sleep with him for a job. He resigned after the scandal came to light and this is proof of my words."

Kharge alleged that the recruitment scam was prevalent for more than one posts. He gave an estimate of at least 600 posts where the ‘deal has been made’. Kharge blamed the state government for toying with the ‘future’ of aspirants who applied for the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd.

"According to the information I have, it is possible that the deal has been done for a total of 600 posts. It is suspected that they have received 50 lakh for the post of Assistant Engineer and 30 lakh for the post of Junior Engineer. There is a possibility that 300 crores of embezzlement have taken place in this alone," he said on recent recruitments in a press conference, ANI reported.

"Where should the poor and talented students go if there are irregularities in every recruitment examination? The perpetrators and the middlemen know that nothing would happen to them even if any scam comes to light. The government is playing with the future of about 3 lakh students who have applied for the posts of KPTCL," the Congress MLA was quoted as saying.

Karnataka BJP replies to Kharge's allegations

Kharge's allegations did not go unnoticed or unanswered by the Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka. They retorted saying Kharge fails to see what his party is doing before making such statements.

“Ex minister Priyank Kharge cannot see the tiles of his own house before making statements like these. It was during the Congress government that the Jayamala bribery scandal was exposed and we all know who was involved in it," the BJP Karnataka said in a Twitter thread.

“Mr. Priyank Kharge, wasn’t it during your time when sexually assaulted women were asking for help and remained helpless? The CD issue of Abhishek in Digvijaya channel was during your UPA government and many influential people were involved in it. There are many secret CDs of congress leaders and their nightlife. Mr. Kharge junior, please reveal the list of Congress leaders who are pretending to be decent people but behind the mask, are full of dark history," the saffron party made a scathing attack.

“Many women in the country work hard, study and give their best in the examinations to clear it and get a job. The comment made by Priyank Kharge is the biggest insult to all women and he must apologize immediately," the BJP said, denying the allegations made by the Congress leader.

The war of words came days after a candidate was caught allegedly using a smartwatch for cheating during the KPTCL recruitment examination in Gokak. He was arrested on Wednesday.

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