Rahul alleges BJP 'snatched' rights of Dalits, backward classes in teacher recruitment

New Delhi, Feb 21 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh of "snatching" the rights of Dalits and backward classes in recruitment of teachers.

Gandhi said Uttar Pradesh's "69,000 teachers recruitment scam" is proof of the BJP's "anti-reservation mentality".

"By ignoring the Basic Education (Teachers) Service Rules, 1981, and Services (Reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes) Act, 1994, the BJP government snatched away the rights of Dalits and backward classes," Gandhi alleged in a post in Hindi on X.

He said aggrieved students met him and told him that the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) had not got their designated share in this recruitment.

"This irregularity is related to about 19,000 posts and not making the original list brings this entire recruitment process under suspicion," Gandhi said in the post.

"The 6,800 candidates whose list was prepared after a report of the National Backward Classes Commission have also been struggling for appointment for two years," he said.

"Tampering with the reservation process is a serious matter. I support these youth who are fighting for their rights, this entire matter should be investigated and they should get justice," he added. PTI