Centre attempting to end reservation: Tejashwi Yadav

Patna: Former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Tuesday alleged that the Union government is attempting to end the reservation for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) in the country.

He pointed towards a job advertisement issued by the Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB) on August 7, 2023, which called for applications to fill 368 posts for principal scientist and senior scientist.

“The advertisement specified that all these vacancies were unreserved which means the reservation orders will not apply to it,” the former Deputy Chief Minister said.

He also shared a copy of the advertisement with the media in Patna, arguing that this move by the ASRB reflects a broader strategy by the Union government to dismantle the existing reservation system that protects the rights of marginalised communities (SC, ST and OBC) in India.

He also criticised the Union government regarding its approach to reservation policies, emphasising that it effectively excludes Dalits, backward classes, and tribal communities from benefiting from reservation policies in these positions.

“The Union government, along with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is systematically dismantling reservation in Agricultural Department recruitment thereby stripping marginalised communities of their rights,” the former Deputy Chief Minister said.

He also challenged Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Union Minister Chirag Paswan, Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Union Minister Anupriya Patel, Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary and other leaders to speak out on this issue.

Earlier, the former Deputy Chief Minister released a written statement addressing the issue of lateral entry into the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), outlining 18 points of concern.

He also asked the Union government to release detailed data regarding recruitments made through lateral entry since 2018 and demanded transparency, specifically asking for information on how many individuals from SC, ST, and OBC have been employed through this process.

IANS