BJP's inclination for 'outsiders' compromising Haryanvis' rights, employment opportunities: Hooda

Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday alleged the ruling BJP's inclination towards ''outsiders'' is severely compromising the rights and employment opportunities of the residents of Haryana.

''In major state-level appointments, the BJP government has consistently preferred candidates from other states over local youth. Not only government jobs, but even state contracts are being awarded to outsiders,'' the former Haryana chief minister alleged in a statement here.

''The latest instance is the deputation appointment of a tehsildar from another state,'' said Hooda and asked whether Haryana's youth lack the qualifications to serve as tehsildars, lecturers or in other such posts.

Are there no competent contractors within Haryana capable of executing government work? Why, time and again, is preference being given to 'outsiders' for such posts? he asked.

The Congress leader emphasised that local residents of every state deserve the first right over jobs in their own region.

''Various states enact policies to ensure employment for their local youth. However, Haryana remains the only state where the government actively frames policies to distribute local jobs to outsiders,'' Hooda alleged.

''This is a major reason why Haryana now tops the country in unemployment rates,'' he said.

The former chief minister pointed out that a similar practice was observed just a few days ago in the recruitment of assistant engineers in the Irrigation Department, where 28 out of 42 general category posts were given to candidates from outside Haryana.

''Previously too, local youth have been deprived in several recruitments, ranging from SDOs (sub divisional officers) in the Electricity Department to lecturers,'' he added.

Hooda alleged the states, especially those ruled by the BJP, are making stringent rules to prioritise local candidates, including increasing questions on local language and state-specific general knowledge in recruitment exams, while the Haryana government has systematically removed such questions from its exams.

The Congress leader said, ''The BJP revealed its anti-Haryanvi agenda when it diluted the domicile rules, reducing the requirement from 15 years of residence to merely 5 years. This change has made it significantly easier for outsiders to acquire Haryana domicile certificates and become eligible not only for general but also for reserved category jobs.'' The former chief minister also pointed out that the BJP had secured power for the third consecutive term on the promise of providing two lakh permanent jobs.

''However, no recruitment process for these promised posts has been initiated so far. The government has even failed to conduct the CET (common eligibility test) properly. In the few recruitments that have concluded, the majority of selected candidates were outsiders, directly jeopardising the future of Haryana's youth,'' Hooda claimed.

''In the recent recruitment of civil judges, 60 out of 110 posts were secured by outsiders. Similarly, in the Technical Education Department, 106 out of 153 general category professor posts were filled by non-Haryanvi candidates. In the recruitment of Ayurvedic Medical Officers, which was pending for 10 years, a list of 394 out of 427 general category posts was released, and shockingly, 75 per cent of those selected were from outside Haryana,'' he added.

Hooda further claimed that 99 people were appointed for 90 posts in the SDO Electrical recruitment held in February 2021, of which 77 were outsiders, leaving only 22 seats for the candidates from Haryana.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)