Rahul Gandhi: The double bench of the Allahabad High Court has cancelled the entire merit list in the recruitment of 69,000 primary teachers on Friday ,directing cancellation of said list and passing critical remarks while taking up an important development in the education of the state, state government of Uttar Pradesh has been ordered by the court to take fresh merit list following strictly the Basic Education Rules and Reservation Rules within a period of three months. This came in response to the allegations of a reservation scam, with 19,000 posts cast under it and hence shadowed the entire recruitment process.
Historical Context of the Recruitment Controversy
The roots of the recruitment controversy lie deep and go back to the tenure of the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government. During his tenure, 1.72 lakh Shikshamitras (contract teachers) were adjusted as assistant teachers, later to be struck down by the High Court. The court’s judgment directed new recruitment for assistant teachers, and the Uttar Pradesh government conducted its first 68,500-spot recruitment of assistant teachers. However, this latest recruitment was also under the scanner as CBI stepped in to probe the matter.
Court’s Verdict and Its Implications
The recent judgment of the Allahabad High Court has put recruitment and the reservation policy of Uttar Pradesh back onto centrestage. The Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi, has now weighed in, taking a swipe at the BJP government. In a tweet, Gandhi said, “The decision of the Allahabad High Court on recruitment of 69,000 assistant teachers is a befitting reply to the machinations of the BJP government which is tampering with the reservation system.” He has reiterated that thousands of youths, like Amit Maurya, have been agitating for the last five years for social justice. He said that the decision was a victory according to Mahatma Gandhi, not only for these candidates but also for all fighters of social justice in the country.
High Court’s Decision and Its Immediate Impact
Gandhi accused the BJP of taking a high political risk by jeopardizing the future of innumerable innocent candidates against whom no court had ever found reservations to be a criminal activity. He said it will be a misery in their lives: one because of years of suffocation for the assured job and the other who will be left to the mercy of time, with the BJP government being blamed exclusively. “The BJP government, which is forcing those who ‘study’ to ‘fight’, is truly the enemy of the youth,” said Gandhi, emphasizing the discontent and frustration among the affected candidates.
As the government of the day in Uttar Pradesh prepares to overhaul the merit list, the integrity of the PR-Police recruitment process and more important the far-reaching implications on social justice and reservation policies in the state of UP and India have been brought to the center stage.