BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra on Sunday issued a clarification after netizens ridiculed him for his claims of securing All India 19 rank in the Union Public Services Examination in 2000.
Taking part in an Aaj Tak conclave, Patra had said, “We are cocks and bulls who should fight on the street…You asked me about my qualifications. I thought I should tell you why I became the ITDC chairman. Shankarsinh Vaghela (of the Congress) was its chairman before me. I am more qualified than him. I’ve done MBBS, MS. I’ve done MRCS from London. After that I cracked the UPSC, securing all India 19 rank.”
Patra later added that he had secured all India 19 rank in the UPSC exam in 2000.
This was after Kanhaiya Kumar had questioned his qualifications to be appointed as the chairman of the Indian Tourism Development Corporation.
His claims on cracking the UPSC exam did not go down well with netizens, who accused the BJP spokesperson of lying. Many said that they had checked the archives of the UPSC results for 2000 and Patra’s name was missing from the list.
Yesterday BJP leader Sambit Patra blatantly lied on @aajtak that he was UPSC’s 19th rank holder in 2000. It can be easily verified that not a single person named Sambit ever qualified for UPSC in 2000.
Link for reference: https://t.co/3g75qOTdnW pic.twitter.com/cM36Fh74I3
— Aditya Goswami (@AdityaGoswami_) December 5, 2021
Like him or hate him, but you have to appreciate Dr. Sambit Patra for the fact that he has saved so many lives. By giving up medical practice.
— PuNsTeR™ (@Pun_Starr) December 5, 2021
Fact Check : BJP Spokesperson Sh. Sambit Patra on a live television debate claimed that he got AIR 19 in UPSC exam in 2000.
Fact is no one named Sambit qualified in UPSC 2000 exam. Legal action to be initiated against Sh. Swaraj for falsely claiming on live TV.
— Anshuman Sail (@AnshumanSail) December 5, 2021
Mahatma Gandhi trying to find Sambit Patra’s name in 2000 UPSC result. pic.twitter.com/kVUGwDZ8zu
— Mr.Fixit (@yippeekiyay_dk) December 5, 2021
Faced with public ridicule, Patra took to Twitter to clarify that he did not mean the civil services exams conducted by the UPSC. Instead, he added, he was referring to the Combined Medical Services Examination, also known as the CMS. He tweeted, “Apart from CSE ..UPSC conducts CMS exams as well ..I thought the “so called”educated knew this ..but it appears a few are oblivious to the fact!
Apart from CSE ..UPSC conducts CMS exams as well ..I thought the “so called”educated knew this ..but it appears a few are oblivious to the fact!
— Sambit Patra (@sambitswaraj) December 5, 2021
Patra had made the controversial claim during a conclave organised by Aaj Tak TV channel. Proceedings in that conclavehad faced unusual disruptions after BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra repeatedly urged the channel owner Aroon Purie and his daughter Kalli Purie to come to his rescue when Congress representative Kanhaiya Kumar began to corner him for allegedly making false statements.