Board exam paper row heats up in MP Assembly

Bhopal, March 9: Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker Sitasaran Sharma on Wednesday, March 9 asked leaders of the treasury and opposition benches to meet him and find an amicable solution to end the row over a question in Class 12 Board exam Hindi paper which had an essay on 'caste-based reservation posing danger to the country'.

The controversial essay issue rocked the budget session of the Assembly for the second consecutive day today, leading to 10 minutes adjournment with Congress members demanding a debate on it.

After a Question Hour, when the Zero Hour was to begin, Congress member Ramniwas Rawat sought a debate on the Class 12 Hindi paper of Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education.

He said 21 hours had passed after their plea for bringing an adjournment motion for debate on the controversial question of Class 12.

State Legislative Affairs Minister Narottam Mishra said exam paper setter Vandana Vyas and moderator Santosh Swarnkar have been suspended and appropriate action has been taken on the issue.

MP High Education Minister Umashanker Gupta said the examination papers was a "confidential matter" and action on the issue has already been taken. Rawat objected saying government's intention on reservation was not good. "You cannot scrap reservation," he said.

BJP member Rameshwar Sharma said "Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan have already categorically said that caste-based reservation won't end".

However, the treasury and opposition traded charges and created bedlam over the issue, prompting the Chair to adjourn the House for 10 minutes. After the House reassembled, the Speaker asked both parties exchanging barbs to come to his chamber for thawing differences over the adjournment motion to bring peace in the House.

PTI