Jharkhand excise constable recruitment drive held for 'votes': Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Ranchi: Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday accused the Hemant Soren-led government of holding the excise constable recruitment drive, that claimed 12 lives, "for votes".

Chouhan, who is also the BJP's Jharkhand election in-charge, arrived in Ranchi on Sunday to take stock of preparations for the assembly polls, which are due later this year.

"With the election approaching, the CM, who had promised five lakh jobs and realised that it cannot be fulfilled, made the youths run for 10 km. This led to the death of 12 youths," the Union Agriculture Minister alleged while speaking to reporters at Ranchi's Birsa Munda Airport.

Chouhan said that such a 10-km run did not happen anywhere else.

"Without proper arrangements, the Hemant Soren government hatched a conspiracy to mislead the youths in greed for votes, which took the lives of several of them," he said.

Chouhan alleged that Soren knew that recruitment could not be done at this time, no matter how many interviews were conducted.

"This is not a mere accident but murders that have been done in greed for votes, for which the youth of Jharkhand will never forgive the government," he alleged.

The ruling JMM, however, claimed that the assessment rule was amended in 2016 when the BJP was in power in the state.

A party leader said that the Jharkhand Excise Constable Cadre (Recruitment and Service Conditions) Rules, 2013, had provisioned a candidate to run 1.6 km or one mile in six minutes.

The physical tests for the Jharkhand excise constable recruitment drive, which began on August 22, were halted following the deaths of 12 aspirants.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren had ordered the suspension of the drive from September 3 to September 5 due to these fatalities.

The remaining part of the drive for around 1.14 lakh candidates will resume on September 10 with revised norms.

In response to health concerns, devices to monitor oxygen levels and blood pressure, as well as provisions for ORS and fruits, will be available at each centre where the tests will be held, a police official said.

To manage the process more effectively, only 3,000 candidates will be tested per day, and the exercise will conclude by 8 am, he said.

Around 1.87 lakh candidates have participated in the running test so far, with 1.17 lakh passing it.

Later, addressing reporters at the BJP's state headquarters here, Chouhan said that the party would take out 'Parivartan Yatra' to "expose" Hemant Soren government's alleged unfulfilled promises, rising corruption, infiltration, changing demography and deteriorating law and order situation in Jharkhand.

"As many as six such yatras would be taken out in different areas of the state, tentatively around September 19. Final shape to the yatra programme is being given," he said.

He further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would visit Jharkhand's Jamshedpur on September 15.

"Besides flagging off a Vande Bharat Express, the PM will also transfer the first instalment of the PM Awas Yojana to the accounts of around 1.13 lakh beneficiaries in Jharkhand. Besides Jharkhand, the instalment amount will also be credited to the accounts of beneficiaries in other states of the country," he added.