MPSC Protests: CJP’s Abhijeet Dipke targets Fadnavis, calls for Vivek Bhimanwar’s resignation

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) convenor Abhijeet Dipke on Sunday demanded reforms in the MPSC and the resignation of its chairman Vivek Bhimanwar over "allegations" of corruption against him. He flagged growing unemployment in the state and criticised Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. During an interaction with aspirants of the state Public Service Commission in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, the CJP founder asked them to post a two-minute video on Instagram for Bhimanwar's removal. If 15-20 lakh youths are unemployed, it is not good for any state, he said.

"Bhimanwar (as a former Transport Commissioner) is facing several allegations of corruption in the RTO scam, licences, number plates. The question is how much cut did Devendra Fadnavis get out of this? But if Bhimanwar continues to hold his post, it would mean that he (Fadnavis) is getting those cuts (commission). Are they purchasing MPs and MLAs using this money?'' Dipke asked. He targeted Fadnavis over his old pre-election "Me Punha Yein" slogan, saying the chief minister won't make a comeback if he doesn't hear the voice of MPSC aspirants.

In a dig at Fadnavis , he said he liked him for his "hard work". He wakes up at 5 am to take an oath and also wakes up the government. He says 'Me Punha Yein' (I will make a comeback). But if he does not listen to the MPSC aspirants, he will never make a comeback. This is democracy, and they (government) have to listen to the people, as they will elect you to office as voters," Dipke added. He demanded "reforms" in the Maharashtra Public Service Commission by making Bhimanwar resign.

Also read ‘Don't turn it into political agenda’: MPSC chairman denies allegations against him over drug paper leak

Student protest

The alleged Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) Drug Inspector exam paper leak had sparked massive protests, with aspirants and political groups demanding the resignations of Bhimanwar and the commission's secretary. Aspirants also accused MPSC of procedural lapses in conducting examinations. For his part, Bhimanwar had rejected demands for his resignation, stating the Drug Inspector exam paper leak occurred before he took office.

Meanwhile, Dipke claimed that governments in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have started allocating funds to repair schools after students' agitation forced the then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign. If a paper leak happens, the chair should not remain in place, he said. "Pradhan lost his chair. The Uttar Pradesh government allocated a budget of thousands of crores to repair schools. The Rajasthan govt also allocated a budget to repair schools after the Ashutosh (Ranka) issue.

The Maharashtra government has started working on Ashram and government schools, but it is not that effective yet," he claimed. Dipke had alleged an attack on CJP co-convener Ranka and other volunteers during his attempt to inspect a government school in Rajasthan last month. He also appealed to the MPSC aspirants to fight for their rights fearlessly. ''The aspirants can fight, but they don't understand their power. The Constitution has given them the rights to fight against the cases filed against them," he added.