bhopal

Updated: Jun 08, 2015 22:58 IST

Continuing his attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party over admissions in private medical colleges through Dental and Medical Admission Test (DMAT), leader of Opposition in the assembly, Satyadev Katare, on Monday alleged that the exam was rigged and it should be scrapped.

Katare claimed that all the admissions through DMAT had been made through rigging and that he had information that more than100 BJP MLAs and nearly 150 officials had got their kin selected through DMAT.

He alleged that health minister Narottam Mishra’s son had got admission in private medical college through similar way.

“Sons, daughters and kin of many other ministers, former ministers and nearly 100 BJP MLAs had got admissions in medical and dental colleges through DMAT. Arrested DMAT ex-controller, Yogesh Uprit, has told investigators that the examination was rigged all these years, and the circles in answer sheets were filled after “selecting” students. Hence, it is clear that ministers, former ministers and legislators apart from officials made use of this rigging to get their kin selected,” said the senior Congress leader, who took names of some other BJP leaders too.

Katare said the DMAT should be scrapped immediately and degrees of those who benefited from the scam should be banned. “If these people who get into colleges through unfair means, are allowed to practice, they will do genocide,” he said.

“The DMAT exam had become a tool for the influential people in the government to get their sons and daughters admissions in colleges, without facing the competition examination,” the minister added.

Meanwhile, health minister and government spokesperson Dr Narottam Mishra said Katare’s allegations about BJP leaders’ kin getting admission fraudulently through DMAT, were false.

“Leader of Opposition Satyadev Katare’s charges are baseless and wrong. The Congress targeted the government on the issue of PEB scam and tried to make a mountain out of a molehill but it has failed. Now the Congress has come up with a new issue just to remain in the headlines,” he said.

Mishra, who also has the medical education portfolio, said his son had got admission in the college when selection through DMAT hadn’t begun in the state. “Without any documents and proof, Katare has made allegations. It doesn’t behove a person of his stature, who has a constitutional post, to make such allegations, especially about others’ children.”

The government spokesperson said that Katare is saying BJP leaders’ kin were selected but the truth is that many Congress leaders' children including that of current and past MLAs of Bhopal, have also got admissions in medical colleges through DMAT.