Opposition leader and Congress party MP Rahul Gandhi has targeted the Modi government on the very low number of Bahujans - Dalits, backward, tribals - in Indian universities.
New Delhi: In many government institutions in the country, from low to high, the number of Bahujans like Dalits, backward, tribals is negligible. In many institutions, posts have been lying vacant for years, but appointments have not been made on them till date. On this issue, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Friday cornered the Modi government at the Centre. Posting on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Rahul Gandhi wrote, “These figures presented by the Modi government in Parliament are solid proof of Bahujans being disenfranchised and institutional Manuwad. In central universities, 83% of Professor posts for ST, 80% for OBC and 64% for SC have been deliberately kept vacant. Similarly, 65% of Associate Professor posts for ST, 69% for OBC and 51% for SC have also been left vacant.” He further wrote, “This is not just negligence, but a well-planned conspiracy to keep the Bahujans out of education, research and policies. Due to lack of adequate participation of Bahujans in universities, the problems of deprived communities are deliberately hidden from research and discussion. In the name of NFS (Not Found Suitable), thousands of deserving SC, ST, OBC candidates are being declared ineligible under Manuwadi thinking and the government is not ready to take any responsibility. This is completely unacceptable. All vacant posts should be filled immediately – Bahujans should get their rights, not Manuwadi boycott.” These questions raised by Rahul Gandhi are like questions raised by just a handful of questions from the ocean of questions. In fact, its seriousness is even more shocking. According to the Ministry of Education, a total of 6,549 teaching posts are vacant in central universities, of which 3,669 are from reserved categories (SC/ST/OBC). Delhi University (900 vacancies), Allahabad University (622 vacancies), and BHU (532) have the highest number of vacancies.
Reserved positions for SC/ST/OBC have also seen a decline in institutions of national importance (such as IITs, IIMs, NITs) and other central government institutions. According to 2013-14 data, the share of upper caste Hindus in these institutions was 70.2%, while the share of reserved categories was lower than expected.
Representation of SC/ST/OBCs in higher positions in ministries (such as PMO, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Defence) is negligible. For example, the PMO has no SC/ST and only 4 OBCs as against 21 upper castes.
Reasons for vacancies in government institutions
Many experts and social activists believe that reserved positions are deliberately kept vacant in higher education institutions due to “institutional Manuvaad”. Candidates from reserved categories are rejected citing “Not Found Suitable (NFS),” which is seen as a conspiracy to eliminate reservation. Apart from this, lack of transparency in the interview process and upper caste dominance in selection committees is also a reason.
The practice of hiring teachers and employees on contract instead of permanent appointments has increased in government institutions. Reservation policy is not applicable in contract and private sector, due to which SC/ST/OBC candidates do not get opportunities. Technically, the scope of vacancies in reserved posts is also increasing due to lack of government recruitment and privatization policies.
Obviously, Dalit and tribal students and teachers have to face caste discrimination in higher education institutions, due to which many qualified candidates are reluctant to make a career in these institutions. Rohith Vemula’s suicide (2016) is a prime example of this.
Rajan Chaudhary
Courtesy : Hindi News