Several candidates selected as government teachers, belonging to the OBC (Other Backward Class) category, gheraoed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state office, demanding their appointments, in the state capital Bhopal today, Monday, August 28. They protested outside the state BJP office demanding the appointment of 882 selected candidates and warned that they would hold an indefinite strike if their demands were not met. Additionally, the candidates also made allegations of breach of promise against the BJP-led state government, as stated in a report by ANI.
One of the selected candidates, Pratiksha Kaurav, from Narsinghpur district told ANI, “We have come here to place our demands. We all are the selected candidates for Primary Teacher Class III and districts were allotted to all of us in the final list. The candidates have also left their old jobs after their names appeared in the final selection list. So those who were already employed have also become unemployed.”
"The appointment letters of only 882 OBC candidates have been withheld. Neither the DPI (Directorate of Public Instruction) nor the Education Department has given any clear reason for it. The candidates alleged that there is no information on the TRC (Teachers Recruitment Counselling) portal as to why the appointment letter for these 882 has not arrived. That's why all the youth are troubled mentally as well as physically," she said.
“Protests are going on peacefully for 15 days continuously, but none of the officials from the administration are paying attention to their demands, neither the officials of the education department are listening to us nor are they ready to accept. We have come to place our demand and we want our own joining letter,” the candidate added.
Another candidate, Kamlendra Singh, said, “The names of all these 882 OBC candidates were in the final list, the district was also allotted, still don't know why the BJP government in the state has stopped them from getting an appointment and what is the reason. Everyone is harassed. We have come here with our demands, why have we been thrown out, someone must tell us the reason?”
False assurances?
When they visited the chief minister's house, they were assured there too and were told that the government was working on their case. But nothing has happened yet, Kamlendra Singh added. The selected candidates later called off their protest after meeting with state BJP chief VD Sharma and getting assurance from him.
Sharma assured them that he would speak to the chief minister about their demands and would try to get all their demands fulfilled, as stated in a report by ANI.
