India News
Bihar Rural Work Department Minister Ashok Choudhary has criticised Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav, accusing him of misleading the protesting candidates of the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) over the alleged normalisation policy being implemented.
"The normalisation has not been implemented by the BPSC, so the candidates' demand for its withdrawal is baseless. Tejashwi Yadav's advisors or the Opposition leader himself are responsible for propagating false information to incite protests. It is a mistake made by the advisor of Tejashwi Yadav," Choudhary said on Friday.
Many candidates have accused authorities of unfair practices in the recruitment process of the BPSC, specifically normalisation in exam scoring.
Choudhary also said that the state government might take punitive action against individuals responsible for allegedly instigating unrest among candidates, portraying the protests as politically motivated rather than grounded in legitimate grievances.
This issue has become a flashpoint, reflecting the intersection of student concerns and political rivalries in Bihar.
While the government maintains that normalisation was not part of the process, the protesting candidates demand transparency and fairness, amplifying the debate in the state's political discourse.
During the lathi charge, several aspiring candidates, including student leader Dilip Kumar were injured.
The protestors were protesting against the potential normalisation process in the 70th Combined Preliminary Examination scheduled in Bihar on December 13.
Earlier, Satya Prakash Sharma, Secretary of BPSC, clarified that the commission has not announced any normalisation plan.
"If normalisation were to be applied, the commission would have mentioned it explicitly in the notification or issued a separate notice," Sharma said.
Sharma dismissed the protests as baseless, stating: "Why should the commission clarify regarding the misleading talks about normalisation? Those protesting are not serious candidates but individuals who do not focus on their studies."
He emphasised that only one per cent of candidates typically pass, and those genuinely preparing for the exam are not involved in such demonstrations.
Earlier on Friday, hundreds of BPSC candidates protested at the gate of the commission's office in Patna.
Supported by student leaders, the candidates demanded that the exam be conducted without normalisation, as has traditionally been the case.
Protesters argue that normalisation is unnecessary, especially when the exam is being conducted in one shift across all centres.
The demand is for the exam process to remain as it has been in the past, ensuring uniformity and fairness without additional calculations.
Since a single set of questions is being used, candidates believe normalisation -- a method often applied to adjust for variations in difficulty across multiple shifts -- is irrelevant.
The preliminary examination for the 70th combined BPSC examination is scheduled on December 13, 2024, in a single shift across 925 centres across Bihar and around 4.80 lakh candidates are appearing in the examination. The admit card was released on the commission's website on Friday.
The protests highlight a broader concern among candidates about transparency and fairness in recruitment processes.
While the commission has dismissed the rumours about normalisation, the candidates seek official assurance to avoid any last-minute surprises that could affect their prospects.
This growing unrest underscores the importance of clear communication between examining bodies and aspirants to ensure trust in competitive examination systems.
Earlier on Friday, Tejashwi Yadav extended his support to the protesting candidates of the BPSC 70th Combined Preliminary Examination, further amplifying their demands for clarity and fairness in the examination process.
Advertisment
