Lucknow: Hundreds of candidates have been protesting against an alleged recruitment scam in appointment of 69,000 teachers for the past 620 days, demanding that their allegation is investigated and their candidature should be considered for the government job. 

They are not only staging a sit-in at the Kanshiram Eco Garden in the city, but also making every possible effort to make their voice heard. While the agitators have already attempted to meet the chief minister, the education minister and others, they have not been averse to taking the support of Opposition leaders either. 

Former chief ministers Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati have tweeted in their favor several times. Bhim Army Chief Chandra Shekhar Azad has also raised their voice several times, besides visiting their protest site.

Mock Condolence

They were left enraged after Om Prakash Rajbhar, who is a partner of the NDA government in the state, passed disparaging remarks against them in an interview. 

Responding to a journalist’s query with regard to their ongoing agitation, the politician said, “They deserved to be kicked.”

He alleged the protesters are hand-in-glove with the Opposition Samajwadi Party. “They wear the caps of Samajwadi Party and raise slogans, hailing (party chief) Akhilesh Yadav. Isn’t it pre-planning?” he asked.

The comments of the leader did not go down well with the protesting teacher aspirants. To register their resentment against the outrageous statement, they held a demonstration against Rajbhar.

Brajesh Kumar, one of the candidates, told The Mooknayak, “We are managing our dharna (sit-in) on individual donations of Rs 10-20 per person. We are forced to have dal (pulses) as a meal and lack the resources to survive even for a day. Despite this, Rajbhar is insinuating that we are fighting at someone’s behest.”

The candidates also held a mock condolence for Rajbhar by garlanding his portrait, signifying his death.

Another protester said it is a “shame” that Rajbhar, whom the people belonging to SC/ST/OBC communities see as their representative, uses such a language for them.

MP CM Passed the Buck

The agitators also tried to draw attention of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who came to Lucknow for the Yadav Mahakumbh organized by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday.

Avinash Yadav, one of the protesting students, along with his fellow protesters had to the event to brief Yadav about their allegation and demands.

“We went there to convey the grievances of the Yadav community to the MP chief minister. After listening, to our surprise, referring to Akhilesh Yadav and his father, late Mulayam Singh Yadav, he told us to seek justice from those whose family members held the office of the chief minister in the state for four terms,” he said.

The agitating student from Azamgarh alleged they were assaulted by the police over there before being approached by some people who claimed to be representatives of the MP chief minister.

Bhupendra Yadav, who accompanied Avinash, said, “We handed over the memorandum to him (MP CM Yadav). We do not know whom Mohan Yadav was referring to. He was pinning the blame on previous governments despite the fact that the previous governments, be it that of the Samajwadi Party or the Bahujan Samaj Party, have nothing to do with the scam and even the state and national OBC commissions have accepted the discrepancy in the recruitment.”

The notification for the 69,000 vacancies for government teachers in the state was issued by the education department in 2018. As the recruitment process proceeded, gross violation of the reservation system was noticed. It was also reportedly acknowledged by the state government.

Despite shortlisting 6,800 aspirants, the protesters said, the recruitment board did not release the joining letter for a long time.

Timeline of the Recruitment Process

December 1, 2018: A vacancy of 69,000 assistant teachers was notified in the run-up to the 2019 elections.

December 5, 2018: Applications were invited against the vacant posts.

January 6, 2019: A written examination was held.

January 7, 2019: The recruitment agency announced a minimum cut-off, which was 65% or 97/150 for general category and 60% or 90/150 for SC/ST/OBC category students.

May 12, 2020: Result was declared. Pointing out alleged discrepancies in the reservation criteria, students began staging protests against.

July 2020: Candidates approached the state as well as the Central OBC commissions. The commission orders an inquiry.

April 29, 2021: The National Commission for Other Backward Caste found discrepancies in the reservation criteria that was adopted. The chief minister took cognizance and ordered redressal of the grievances.

January 5, 2022: A list of 6,800 candidates was released. The then Basic Education Minister Satish Dwivedi acknowledged the discrepancies and promised to issue joining letters soon.

February 2022: The Model Code of Conduct came into effect, hampering the process of recruitment.

March 13, 2023: The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court canceled the list of 6,800 candidates and ordered a review of the recruitment process.

Also Read-