Patna, June 3: Amid the snowballing controversy over the Intermediate results, the Janata Dal United today did a U-turn on the role of Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) chairman Anand Kishor, saying "anyone guilty will face the consequences".
JDU spokesperson Neeraj Kumar, who had yesterday strongly defended Kishor for conducting a "strict and cheating-free exam", on Saturday appeared to have taken a step back. "You saw what happened to IAS Sudhir Kumar in the BSSC paper leak scam," Neeraj said. "Anyone guilty will face the consequence."
Kishor is among the most high profile IAS officers in the present regime. He currently holds three posts - chairman of BSEB, commissioner of Patna and inspector-general, jails. Such is the level of trust the government reposes in the 1996 batch officer that he was handpicked to set BSEB in order after former chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh was arrested for his alleged role in last year's toppers' scam.
However, the heat generated by the failure of some 65 per cent of the Intermediate examinees and emerging proof that despite holding a strict exam there were glaring gaps in the evaluation has forced the JDU to do a rethink.
Yesterday, when its ally RJD was asking for Kishor's scalp, the JDU not only praised the officer but also defended disgraced arts topper Ganesh Kumar by playing the Dalit card. "He (Ganesh) is being targeted because he happens to hail from a poor family and is a Dalit," JDU's Neeraj said.
By Friday evening, Ganesh had been arrested for allegedly fudging his real age, punching holes in the BSEB claim that "there was nothing wrong in the results". "Kishor's repeated stand that he would not allow re-evaluation and would stick to re-totalling for examinees has not helped. Most of the students feel that the low marks was due to improper evaluation," said a JDU leader.
Spokesperson Neeraj today told The Telegraph his statements yesterday were on the basis of what Kishor had said. "But now it appears Ganesh had hid his age. There are still no complaints about irregularities in evaluation," he said.
The JDU found itself totally isolated when all other parties were demanding a probe. The ruckus has come at a time when the RJD is on the backfoot because of a series of corruption charges levelled by the BJP against Lalu Prasad and his family. The JDU has so far kept quiet on the charges, leaving the RJD to fend for itself.
The education portfolio was with the JDU till 2015 after which Ashok Choudhary of the Congress was handed the charge. The controversy has given the RJD an opportunity to get back at Nitish Kumar and they have targeted Kishor since he is one of the most favoured officials of the chief minister.
