Allegations of a question paper leak in the examination held for Village Secretariat (Gram Sachivalayam) has rocked Andhra Pradesh with opposition parties attacking the YSRCP government. It's being alleged that the question papers for the exams were leaked by employees from the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) office in Vijayawada in order to help their relatives secure top ranks in the state.
Around 21.69 lakh people from Andhra Pradesh sat for the exam that took place on September 2, the results for which were announced on September 19. A total of 1.98 lakh persons qualified for 1.60 lakh vacancies across villages in the state. The Village Secretariat governance model aims to make the functions of the secretariat more accessible at the local level. The YSRCP government had conducted the exam and released the results within a month, terming it as one of its key achievements within 100 days of coming to power.
Controversy, however, erupted on September 20 when the Telugu newspaper Andhra Jyothi reported that two persons employed with the APPSC allegedly leaked the question papers. The newspaper reported that Dodda Venkata Reddy, who had obtained the first rank in Category 3 and 2nd rank in Category 1, is the younger brother of Mallikarjunara Reddy an employee with APPSC. It was also alleged that Anitha Reddy (Anithamma) who had secured the first rank in Category 1, an employee of APPSC had alleged typed the question paper herself. However, speaking to TNM, Anitha refuted the allegations.
37-year-old Anita, the top ranker in Category I, qualifying for the post of Panchayat Secretary has been working as a junior assistant at APPSC for eight years. She denied having accessed or typed the question paper and refused to speak any further on the matter. Her husband Srinivasa Reddy speaking to TNM also denied the allegations against his wife saying, “Nothing of that sort (malpractice) happened. She worked hard for it day and night.”
The newspaper reported that the leaked question papers were also allegedly shared with Mallikarjunara Reddy's relatives and friends who have also managed to secure high ranks in the state exam. However, the story does not offer any proof that there was indeed a question paper leak.
The politics behind the leak
Andhra Jyothi newspaper and its TV channel ABN Andhra Jyothi are news networks that are perceived to be mouthpieces of the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP). ABN Andhra Jyothi was recently taken off air across the state, allegedly at the insistence of the YSRCP led state government.
The controversy over the question paper leak took a political turn when on Sunday V Vijaya Sai Reddy, the Rajya Sabha MP and the general secretary of the YSRCP while speaking to his party cadre stated, "About 90% of positions have come to our cadre, there is discontent among people who didn't get it. We have future plans for our cadre," However his comments were in reference to village volunteers and not to Village Secretaries, whom the volunteers report to.
But his statement was picked up by Leader of the Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu, who wrote an open letter to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy asking him to resign over supposed question paper leaks. The TDP also alleged that each post was being sold for Rs 4 lakh.
The state government is yet to come out with a statement in response to the allegations, officials with the APPSC and Panchayat Raj did not respond to calls or queries regarding the allegations. A TNM reporter was not allowed to enter the APPSC building in Vijayawada.
On Sunday, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) from Vishakhapatnam protested over the issue, alleging that the 10% extra marks that were to be awarded for recruitment to the ANM Grade-3 posts in Village Secretariats have also not been fulfilled. Noor Mohammad, state secretary for CITU says if the exams are not held in a fair and free manner then it impacts those who are deserving for the posts, "No one from the government side has come forward with an explanation, it’s the government's duty to give a clarification on this and clear the air. We also waited for a few days and so protested as no one speaking out. Be it the YSRCP or the TDP, the APPSC is a compromised institution, it's been one-and-a-half years they still have not released the results for assistant lecturer post exams. The reason? Many from the caste groups that back the TDP couldn't clear the exams," he alleged.