Minister of State for Human Resource Development Upendra Kushwaha today said his ministry would seek a report from Bihar government over reports of rampant cheating during board exams in the state.
"The Union HRD ministry will seek a report from the state on the subject and give guidelines to conduct cheating-free examination," Kushwaha told reporters.
"The matriculation examinations in the state are being conducted under pathetic conditions," Kushwaha said and slammed state education minister P K Shahi for not being able to ensure cheating-free exams and instead putting the onus on parents of examinees on the issue.
"The Patna High Court has rightly said that if the minister has not been able to conduct fair examination he should keep himself away from the responsibility," the MoS HRD said.
"If he (Shahi) is not competent he shall make way for others... He shall be asked to say so," said Kushwaha, who is also the president of Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), an ally of BJP in NDA.
A total of 14.26 lakh students were appearing for the exams at 1,217 centres in the state that started on March 17. The examination would end on March 24.
The RLSP chief, flanked by party MPs Arun Kumar and Ram Kumar Sharma, also came down heavily on the Nitish Kumar government for slow pace of paddy procurement from farmers and told reporters that party would organise a rally of farmers in Patna on April 5.
In reply to a question on outgoing chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's inclusion in NDA for the coming Assembly polls in the state, Kushwaha said "this question will come only after Manjhi forms a separate party. A party could be part of the Alliance and not an individual.
