Srinagar: The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday staged a walkout in protest, alleging the Jammu and Kashmir government has failed to clarify its contradictory replies on engagement of 43000 casual labourers/daily wagers in various departments.
While pointing towards two government replies on the same question pertaining to engagement of casual labourers in different government departments, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti asked the state government to come clean on the issue.
Ahead of Question Hour, while referring to written replies to questions posed by Shangus MLA Peerzada Mansoor Hussain and Darhal MLA Choudhry Zulfikar Ali, Mehbooba said the governments backdoor appointment policy stands exposed as the government figures show that 33000 people out of 43000 already have been appointed as daily wagers and causal labourers in different departments.
She said if government reply to Mansoor Hussains question says no engagements have been made so far and the necessary operational modalities are being worked out, then how it has already appointed 33000 causal labourers and daily wagers in seven different departments as has been explained in the government reply to Zulfikar Alis question.
Mehbooba said the youth of the state were forced to take guns and resort to violence when in 1987, the elections were rigged.
She said the same way youth are being pushed to wall by subverting the process of recruitment and the present government led by National Conference (NC) has once again reverted to its traditional backdoor and corrupt practices.
The National Conference led government is committing injustice. This government is snatching rights of the youth who deserve engagement on the basis of their merit. The benefits and favours are being extended to their favorite families. Injustice is being practiced by the present government which is drastically pushing the society toward devastation, Mehbooba said.
She said youth of the state are among the best and they deserve the best.
But, NC had tried to restrict their ambitions and space for growth by holding the state as a personal property and dolling out favours like casual, seasonal and daily wages jobs, she said.
The PDP president remarked that NC led coalition government is involved in a backdoor appointment spree wherein its favorites are adjusted at the cost of genuine, meritorious candidates.
This government may have failed in all other sectors but it has succeeded in chalking out post-retirement rehabilitation policy for its favorite officers and other employees. This has been done without bothering for the increasing burden on the state exchequer, she observed.
Similarly, Mehbooba said the number of educated jobless youth has crossed six lakh and while there are, according to reports, about one lakh vacancies in the government itself.
She said it was natural for people to believe that government had kept these vacancies up its sleeves either to sell them against money or political favours.
She said backdoor entries into the government have once again become a norm and hundreds of retired officers are being reemployed almost as a routine.
Referring to protests staged by National Youth Corps (NYC) volunteers, Mehbooba said during 2010 summer unrest, the government tactfully engaged around eight thousand youth as NYC volunteers to prevent them from taking part in stone pelting but once there were signs of normalcy the NYC volunteers were left high and dry.
She said the present government exploited them as many of them had to leave their education midway for they were promised permanent jobs.
While the present government is dolling out favours of backdoor engagement to its favorites, the NYC volunteers have been asked to stay home. This is sheer exploitation and nothing else, she said.
