Union minister writes to UP CM over rejection of OBC, SC/ST candidates for govt posts

Union minister writes to UP CM over rejection of OBC, SC/ST candidates for govt posts

Union minister and Apna Dal (Sonelal) president Anupriya Patel has written a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over the rejection of OBC and SC/ST candidates for state government posts by declaring them "not found suitable".

In her letter dated June 27, Patel said that she has been "constantly" contacted by candidates from the backward classes and scheduled caste/ scheduled tribe category over the issue.

"…in various competitive examinations conducted by the state government, which have only an interview-based recruitment process, the candidates of these classes are often declared 'not found suitable' for the posts reserved for them and none of them are selected," she said.

She alleged that this process is "adopted many times for these posts in competitive examinations" and later the posts reserved for other OBC and SC/ST candidates are "declared unreserved." However, an official of Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission refuted Patel's allegations and said that in case of no recruitment on reserved posts for OBCs, those posts are "carried forward" i.e. these posts are returned to the department.

He said that there is a provision in the rules that if eligible candidates are not found for the posts reserved for OBCs, then those posts should be returned to the concerned department.

Patel's allegation that if there is no recruitment on reserved posts for OBCs, they are put in the unreserved category is not correct, he said.

Patel also alleged that even after passing the minimum eligibility criteria for these examinations based on merit, OBC and SC/ST candidates are declared "not found suitable".

"It is beyond comprehension that these candidates are repeatedly declared not found suitable for appointment," she said.

The Union minister requested the chief minister to take effective action to immediately stop this practice to "prevent the resentment arising among the candidates from these categories".

She also requested that by making necessary provisions, it should be made mandatory to fill the reserved posts only with the candidates from the OBC and SC/ST categories "no matter how many times the recruitment process has to be done for this".

Apna Dal (Sonelal) is an alliance partner of the BJP-led NDA.