Bihar state exam issue: Prashant Kishor begins fasting unto death

Patna: Demanding the cancellation of a recent examination conducted by the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC), election strategist-turned-politician and recently launched Jan Suraaj party founder Prashant Kishore started a fast unto death on Thursday.

Kishor made the announcement at the historic Gandhi Maidan in the state capital, three days after giving a "48-hour ultimatum" to the Nitish Kumar government for acting on the demand raised by aggrieved candidates, PTI reported.

The administration, however, said the hunger strike at Gandhi Maidan was illegal as it is not the designated site for holding protests.

"My primary demand, of course, is cancellation of the exam held on December 13 and conducting a fresh test. I have also heard allegations that posts to be filled by the exam were virtually put on sale. Such corrupt officials must be identified and brought to justice", said Kishor, who was accompanied by a number of supporters.

The venue was barely a couple of kilometres from Gardani Bagh, where the aggrieved aspirants have been holding a round-the-clock sit-in for nearly two weeks.

Striking a populist note, the former JD(U) vice-president said he wanted the state's NDA government to "bring in a domicile policy, reserving two-thirds of government vacancies for candidates from the state".

He added, "The injustice done to the state's youth by the current regime goes long back. Before his ascent to power, the chief minister (Nitish Kumar) had toured the state and promised unemployment doles. Not a single person has got the benefit even after 20 years. The government must start giving unemployment allowance".

Kishor also demanded a white paper on several competitive exams held in the last 10 years, which were marred by question paper leaks, and claimed that the government demonstrated its inability to crack down on the education mafia suspected to be behind the malpractices.

The Jan Suraaj leader's aggressive stance comes in the wake of scorn heaped on him by both political ruling and opposition leaders in the state after a demonstration he staged on Sunday ended in a lathi charge and use of water cannons by police.

Referring to the police action, Kishor said, "Officials who have converted democracy into the rule by force must be booked".