DMK working president M.K. Stalin Sunday demanded the immediate withdrawal of the proposal, calling it a move aimed at nullifying reservation for Dalits and backward classes.
New Delhi: The Modi government’s proposal to allocate cadres and services to probationers who clear the All India Civil Services Examination only after they complete the three-month foundation course has triggered political backlash.
DMK working president M.K. Stalin Sunday demanded the immediate withdrawal of the proposal, calling it a move aimed at nullifying reservation for Dalits and backward classes.
As reported by ThePrint, the proposal, if it comes through, would mean that those who crack the prestigious examination endure an additional three months of nerve-wracking wait, until they complete their foundation course, to know the service and cadre they are being allocated. Currently, candidates who qualify the test are immediately allocated the service and cadre based on the ranks they secure in the examination.
In a strongly worded attack on the proposal, Stalin called it “a direct assault on the reservation system”.
The Prime Minister’s Office, he said, is determined to ensure there is no social justice, adding that the country would not tolerate any such attempt by Modi and his government. He warned of a major agitation if the proposal was not withdrawn immediately.
“The proposed changes are harmful to the social justice principles which underpin the selection of civil servants in the country,” said DMK spokesperson Manuraj S.
“Bringing in an additional marking based on the performance of the probationers would pave the way for blatant nepotism and favouritism. Whenever subjectivity is introduced into the system, caste and communal considerations will trump merit and such a system is naturally geared to disadvantage candidates from backward classes,” he added.
While some bureaucrats argue that the intention of the move, which is so far only being explored, may be to better assess candidates, many remain sceptical.
“If the service and the cadre allocation are determined on the combined score of the civil services examination and the score or performance in the foundation course, it will dilute the role of UPSC (Union Public Services Commission) by increasing the interference of the executive,” an officer had told ThePrint.
Historian and columnist Ramachandra Guha, too, warned that the proposal was “utterly dangerous” in its ability to have “a political sarkar, and not an impersonal examination, allocate IAS/IFS cadres, etc”. He tweeted, “Civil servant aspirants better begin measuring out their khaki shorts, doing pujato portraits of the Great Leader, etc (sic).”