Support rail job candidates protesting ‘irregularities’ in exam, stir must be non-violent, says Cong
India

Support rail job candidates protesting ‘irregularities’ in exam, stir must be non-violent, says Cong

New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI) The Congress on Thursday said it stands with those protesting the alleged irregularities in a recruitment exam by the Railways while stressing there should be no place for violence in these agitations. A day earlier, the Railways suspended its NTPC and Level 1 exams after the candidates went on a […]

   

New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI) The Congress on Thursday said it stands with those protesting the alleged irregularities in a recruitment exam by the Railways while stressing there should be no place for violence in these agitations.

A day earlier, the Railways suspended its NTPC and Level 1 exams after the candidates went on a rampage in some states alleging aberrations in the process whilst minister Ashwini Vaishnaw urged them not to destroy public property and assured redressal of their grievances.

The National Students’ Union of India, the Congress’ student wing, held a country-wide protest on Thursday over the issue.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said her party will support the job aspirants in their protest and urged them to follow the Gandhian principle of non-violence.

She accused the BJP government of “taking away” the employment opportunities by “not keeping the promise of providing two crore jobs every year”.

It is “shameful” that instead of creating job opportunities, the BJP government is beating up and threatening the job aspirants for protesting the “irregularities”, Shrinate alleged.

“We stand with every youth of this country who demanding justice, particularly with the RRB examinations. But, this is Mahatma Gandhi’s India and there is no place for violence,” she told reporters.

On January 26, the third day of protests, a crowd stormed the Gaya Junction and set on fire the Bhabhua-Patna InterCity Express. Protests were also reported from Patna, Nawada, Muzaffarpur, Buxar and Bhojpur districts.

In Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, a large number of candidates had gathered on the railway track on Tuesday but were chased down by the police. During this, some of the protesters allegedly pelted policemen with stones.

Shrinate said she understands the pain, anger and frustration of the candidates and what they and their families are going through. She reminded them that they are the hope of the country and their families and must keep their protests peaceful.

Reminding the job aspirants of the year-long farmers’ protest, she said the stir was peaceful and they won a tough battle against this “oppressive government” because they stayed on the path of non-violence.

“We urge you to be peaceful. We solidly stand with you in this quest.” Shrinate urged the government to talk to the agitators and understand their grievances.

“Please understand the pain and the frustration that the youth of this country are going through. Please understand that erosion of jobs bleaks India’s future.

“You have to create employment opportunities. At least honour the commitments that you made, honour the vacancies that were created, honour the vacancies that were advertised,” she said.

In 2019, the government issued a notification that the recruitment exam for Group-D posts in the railways will be held and 1.25 crore youth applied. Three years have passed and the candidates are still awaiting their appointments, the Congress leader said.

Referring to the Railways’ notice on Tuesday warning its job aspirants that those found involved in vandalism and unlawful activities while protesting would be barred from ever getting recruited, Shrinate said, “The BJP government is telling the youth that if they are found on the tracks, they will never be able to appear for exams.” Pointing at videos that have surfaced on social media purportedly showing some policemen in Prayagraj using unnecessary force on protesters, the Congress spokesperson said, “In 48 hours, one has seen frightful visuals of how students are being beaten up, lathi-charged and dragged out of their hostels.” Why should there not be a job calendar and why proper mechanisms for conducting recruitment within a stipulated period be not put in place, she asked while accusing the BJP government of “changing the rules of the game” retrospectively.

The protest stems from the Railways’ decision to hold the exam in two stages. The agitators claim the second stage for final selection is tantamount to “cheating” those who appeared and cleared the first stage of the Railways’ Non-Technical Popular Categories (NTPC) for computer-based test released on January 15.

It is being alleged that the exam is designed to favour those with a higher qualification, even for jobs that require lesser qualification.

Around 1.25 crore candidates had applied for the exams that had advertised over 35,000 posts. PTI SKC NSD NSD

This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.