Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 10 Jan: Hardening its stand on the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) paper leak scam, the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) on Tuesday strongly disagreed with the All Nyishi Students’ Union (ANSU) and the Pan-Arunachal Joint Steering Committee (PAJSC) over certain points in their 13-point charter of demands, including declaring the scam-ridden APPSC examinations null and void.
The AAPSU reiterated that declaring APPSC examinations null and void would not be justified but would unjustly deprive genuine candidates who worked hard to clear the state’s premier examination.
The apex students’ body faced a barrage of criticism on social media from the aspirants for its contradictory stand against the ANSU and PAJSC.
The AAPSU had convened a consultative meeting with all stakeholders, including community-based organisations and
federating units, on 7 December last year to seek their opinions on the APPSC scam.
The AAPSU argued that the demand for providing compensation of Rs 5 lakhs to each aspirant is “individual interest, rather than state interest, and the union does not endorse and support this demand.”
The union also opposed forcible arrest of all APPSC members without any incriminating evidence against them.
“AAPSU is mature organisation. AAPSU is for every Arunachali. We cannot ask for forceful arrest of all members and the chairman without any incriminating evidences,” said AAPSU finance secretary Byabang Hapo.
“Let the free and fair investigation be carried out. Whoever is found guilty, he must be arrested, suspended and terminated from the job, no matter if that culprit is a big shot’s son or daughter,” Hapo added.
He said that the AAPSU took this decision after consulting every tribe in the state, and that “the union’s voice is the voice of Arunachal.”
The apex students’ body also disagreed with the PAJSC with regard to suspension of all APPSC examinations, claiming that withholding of examination would deprive the aspirants who are on the verge of reaching the upper age limit.
In a press conference on Tuesday, AAPSU general secretary Ritum Tali said, “AAPSU being an apex student organisation, we must listen to every tribe of the state. We cannot take decision just based on one section of society narrative.”
Justifying the AAPSU’s opposition to declaring all APPSC exams null and void, the AAPSU GS said, “There should be equity, natural justice. No genuine person should be unjustly deprived.”
Tali urged the state government to “ensure that new commission members must have a clean image and declare their assets while filing application for membership and chairmanship of the commission.”
The AAPSU also opposed the proposal to hand over the APPSC to the Union Public Service Commission, saying that “doing so would be disastrous for APST candidates, considering the 80-20 ratio of job reservation.”
“The more we keep pending the examinations, more backlogs would be created and, more importantly, it would deprive the candidates who are on the verge of upper age limit,” said AAPSU vice president (protocol) Nabam Gandhi.
Gandhi argued that examinations should continue simultaneously with the investigation into the cash-for-job scam. He also urged the government to start assessing the properties of the arrested officers, “so that, with their conviction, their properties could be seized.” He also demanded expediting departmental inquiry against the officers who have been arrested for their involvement in the scam.
He reiterated that “the AAPSU’s stand is firm and clear that no genuine person should not be victimised.”
