In Kerala, protests against backdoor appointments in govt jobs intensifies

As the agitation outside the state secretariat intensified two young Congress legislators, K S Sabarinathan and Shafi Parambil, also started a fast in solidarity with the agitating young men.

Amid ongoing protests by Kerala public service commission rank holders against backdoor entry in service, the Kerala government on Monday decided to give permanent posting to 221 people who have been working on temporary basis.

Protesting candidates crawled outside the state secretariat on their knees on Monday and two of them were later hospitalized after they fainted. (HT PHOTO).

While the government insists that these temporary workers were inducted on humanitarian grounds, the rank holders alleged that party affiliation was the main criteria and their appointments were illegal.

As the stir outside the state secretariat intensified two young Congress legislators, K S Sabarinathan and Shafi Parambil, also started a fast in solidarity with the agitating young men. But the ruling CPI (M) said opposition parties were behind the stir and blamed them for provoking the youth before the assembly elections.

Protesting candidates crawled outside the secretariat on their knees on Monday and two of them were later hospitalized after they fainted. A spokesperson for the agitators said it was wrong to say political parties sponsored their agitation and they were only concerned about the backdoor entry which stole their opportunities. These candidates have pitched tents outside the secretariat for more than a week protesting against filling up of vacancies ignoring rank holders.

“Recently the Left Front organised a shutdown in West Bengal alleging backdoor entry in government service. In Kerala they are resorting to same tactics. The state has never seen such an insensitive government,” said state Congress president Mullapally Ramachandran. But the government dubbed it as an election stunt.

“Usually the rank list is huge and it is five times higher than existing vacancies. No government can give jobs to all aspirants. Some job aspirants have fallen in the hands of the opposition,” said state finance minister Thomas Issac.