Pune: Government job aspirants and members of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Pune gathered at Mahatma Phule Wada in Ganj Peth on Wednesday to protest against the Maharashtra government's controversial contractual recruitment policy. Led by NCP MLA Rohit Pawar, who belongs to the Sharad Pawar-led faction, the protesters demanded that the government rescind the order allowing nine private companies to recruit contractual employees for various positions in government, semi-government, urban and rural local bodies, corporation boards, and other government establishments. Allegations of widespread malpractices in government recruitments were also raised during the protest.
Pawar emphasised that the protest reflects the concerns of youth and students who feel marginalised. He explained, “The students chose Mahatma Phule Wada as the protest site due to its historical significance (Phule is best known for his efforts to promote education for women and Dalits).” He added, “Some political leaders have doubted the seriousness of these students, but despite the ongoing Ganesh festival celebrations, the fact that students have gathered here demonstrates their commitment to their future and careers."
In his speech, Pawar outlined three demands. He stated, "Our protest is against the government's contractual recruitment. Through this recruitment drive, more than 75,000 posts will be filled, and the candidates will be recruited at lower wages. So, after the deduction of their Provident Fund (PF), they will receive a meagre salary. In this process of contractual recruitment, the contractor (who will provide the manpower) will get richer.”
Pawar also demanded the introduction of a law similar to the one enacted by the Rajasthan government to address incidents of exam paper leaks. Regarding alleged irregularities in the recruitment of talathis, Pawar called for the formation of an independent committee to investigate any malpractice. He warned, "If the state government does not make decisions in favour of the youth in the state in the coming days, the NCP will intensify its agitation."
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Last week, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar defended himself against allegations of unfair blame regarding the recruitment process, stating that the decision had been made by the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) regime. Meanwhile, NCP MP Supriya Sule strongly opposed the privatisation approach, expressing concerns about how it might put economically disadvantaged individuals aspiring to secure government jobs at a disadvantage.
AAP to stage protest tomorrow
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is set to stage a protest tomorrow on Shastri Road in Navi Peth against the contractual recruitment policy. Mukund Kirdat, convenor of the Pune unit of AAP, stated that the protest is aimed at the government resolution (GR) and their demand is its withdrawal. He expressed strong concerns about the policy, stating, “The contractual recruitment policy is a grave injustice to the students who work hard to qualify for competitive exams because only those favoured by the contractors will have opportunities. The existing reservations in competitive exams will also become irrelevant, negatively affecting students in these categories. Moreover, it will likely lead to widespread corruption. Even those who secure jobs through this process will have an uncertain future as they will be dependent on the contractor for job stability.”
Regarding Ajit Pawar's claim that the decision was made by the previous government, Kirdat countered, "Ajit Pawar is misguiding everyone. The previous GR only applied to aspirants in Class C and D categories, and even that was not a good decision."
