PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
BJP leaders in Uttarakhand moved quickly to claim credit after chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced a CBI probe into the alleged paper leak in the UKSSSC graduate-level examination held on September 21.
Dhami made the announcement on Monday following his meeting with protesting youths at Parade Ground in Dehradun. Within hours, the BJP headquarters released a Press note saying that a delegation led by Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Bansal and Rajpur Road MLA Khajan Das had submitted a memorandum to the CM earlier that day seeking a CBI investigation. The BJP State president and Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt also issued a statement calling the probe necessary to clear doubts among candidates and protesting youths.
Bhatt had earlier denied that any leak had taken place and had described the protests as politically motivated, alleging that those gathered at Parade Ground were not aspirants. After the arrest of Khalid Malik, the main accused, BJP leaders went further to describe the case as “Nakal Jihad” rather than acknowledging the possibility of a leak. BJP leader Geetaram Gaud even sat beside the protesting youths at Parade Ground to stage a protest against their demonstration.
Supporters of Haridwar MP and former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat also celebrated outside his Dehradun residence after the announcement, bursting crackers and putting up posters thanking him for the CBI probe. It is because Rawat had earlier said that the government should consider such an investigation and his supporters have projected him as the key figure behind the decision rather than Dhami.
The race for credit over the CBI probe has raised questions on whether the move is driven by calculations for the 2027 Vidhan Sabha elections or by internal power play. It also highlights a rare sense of division within BJP which is not often displayed publicly in Uttarakhand.
