Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar said that the examiner who set a controversial paper has been barred
After a row over a question on bad omens in a recruitment examination held by Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC), Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Wednesday that the examiner who set the question paper had been barred from all future assignments.
The Haryana Staff Selection Commission has also withdrawn the question, Mr Khattar said.
The chief minister went on to say that the question asked in the written examination was not appropriate.
Speaking to reporters, Mr Khattar said he would talk to representatives of the Brahmin community on the issue on Thursday. Members of the Brahmins have held protests state over the issue.
Mr Khattar said the Haryana Staff Selection Commission chairperson had informed him that the examiner had been barred by the Commission. Apart from this, the controversial question has also been withdrawn, the chief minister said.
In an examination for aspiring junior engineers held on April 10, one of the questions asked was - "Which one among the following is not a bad omen in Haryana?" The options for the answer were: "seeing an empty pot, a casket, a black Brahmin, a Brahmin girl."
Opposition Congress and Indian National Lok Dal had slammed the Khattar government over the issue.
Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had said, "this is not an ordinary mistake, this is something unpardonable. They have not only insulted the Brahmin community, but they are also promoting superstition."
Meanwhile, when asked about the letter written by him to Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on the need to stop wasteful flow of water from river Ravi to Pakistan, Mr Khattar said the issue was common to both states.
The Central Water Commission has called for evolution of a system for the construction of dams so that the states concerned could utilize the water, he said.
"I have come to know that Capt Amarinder Singh has got a study conducted which found the construction of dams not feasible. In the wake of these circumstances, the Haryana government would now decide its future course of action. Let me make it clear that Haryana has no conflict with Punjab. As the issue is of common interest, Punjab should take lead in this matter," he added.
To a question about the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway, the chief minister said the KMP and Kundli-Ghaziabad-Palwal (KGP) Expressways were likely to be completed by June-end.
Asked about the quantum of investment the state is expecting from foreign investors, the chief minister said 21 MoUs had been signed during his visits to the USA, Canada, Japan, China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai, and investment worth Rs 1.26 lakh crore is in the pipeline.
"Projects of 14 companies involving investment of Rs 5,134 crore are in progress. These would provide employment opportunities to about 8,000 people. Apart from this, 350 MoUs were signed during the Happening Haryana Global Investors Summit-2016 held at Gurugram which are at different stages of implementation," he added.