New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) The Congress on Tuesday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh has denied reservation benefits to the reserved communities by recruiting candidates from unreserved categories, against the reserved posts of teachers.

Terming it a 'recruitment scam', the party also demanded a thorough probe into the issue.

At a press conference held at the AICC office on Tuesday, Congress MP and Chairman of the UP Congress SC Department, Tanuj Punia, said that since 2018, the UP government had recruited 69,000 teachers.

Of these, 18,500 positions were earmarked for reserved categories such as Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

However, Punia claimed that only 2,637 of the reserved posts were filled by candidates from these communities, while the remaining positions were filled by individuals from unreserved categories.

He called for a high-level judicial investigation into the matter.

Punia argued that this was part of a larger BJP strategy to undermine reservation provisions. He pointed out that Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, had repeatedly warned about the BJP’s intention to alter the constitution and dismantle reservations in India.

He said that the Congress leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, have been continuously warning against the BJP’s 'designs' to change the constitution and finish the reservations in the country.

He said that the Uttar Pradesh government's action has only vindicated what Congress has continuously been warning about.

Punia further asserted that Congress would not let it happen and demanded a high-level judicial probe into the matter. He said that there was anger and resentment among the SC/ST/OBC aspirants as they had been denied their rights.

"The 18,500 reserved posts should be filled immediately, and the deserving candidates must be given what is their right," he said, and demanded that teachers raise their voice against the injustice done to them.

--IANS

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