Lucknow: Candidates protesting alleged reservation discrepancies in the 2018 recruitment of 68,500 assistant teachers in Uttar Pradesh have submitted a memorandum to Cabinet Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar, seeking implementation of the State Backward Classes Commission’s order, revision of the results and appointments for eligible candidates.
The candidates have been staging a continuous protest at Lucknow’s Eco Garden for the past 53 days. Their delegation met Rajbhar again to press for an early resolution of the long-pending issue concerning reservation benefits for Other Backward Classes (OBC) candidates.
Tufan Singh, who is leading the agitation, said the affected candidates had been seeking justice for several years. According to the protesters, the commission’s order should be implemented by treating eligible OBC candidates under the reserved category and revising the results on the basis of the qualifying benchmark of 60 marks out of 150, or 40 per cent. They have also demanded that eligible candidates receive appointments in accordance with the rules and that applicable benefits be extended to persons with disabilities, ex-servicemen and dependants of freedom fighters.
Singh said the candidates had earlier staged a protest outside Rajbhar’s residence under the ‘Dastak Do Abhiyan’. The minister had reportedly assured them that he would take up the matter with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
According to Singh, Rajbhar spoke to the Chief Minister on October 1. The Chief Minister reportedly indicated that the matter would be discussed with the Basic Education Minister and the Principal Secretary, Basic Education, to work towards an early resolution.
However, with approximately 22 days passing without a concrete decision, the delegation approached Rajbhar again, said Ashutosh Verma, a supporter of the agitation. The minister accepted their memorandum, wrote a letter addressed to the Chief Minister and assured them that he would again pursue the matter with the government.
Protest coordinator Naveen Chaudhary said Rajbhar had assured the candidates that reservation provisions would not be compromised and that any discrepancies found in the recruitment process would be rectified.
The delegation has urged the state government to take an early decision on the commission’s order, issue revised results and ensure justice for all eligible candidates.
Singh said the candidates were pursuing their demands peacefully and through democratic means. He added that their agitation would continue until the alleged reservation discrepancies were resolved and eligible candidates received justice.
The delegation included Tufan Singh, Naveen Chaudhary, Ashutosh Verma, Mohit Kumar and other candidates.
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