SPECIAL EXECUTIVE: Move to cancel recruitment process draws backlash

The state government’s decision to cancel the existing recruitment process for more than six thousand Special Executive posts under the Home Department has drawn massive backlash from opposition parties in particular and aspirants in general.

In a notification that went public on Saturday, the Home Department invited fresh applications for the 6,367 posts of Special Executives, stating that the previous selection process stood cancelled. In fact, the department didn’t bother to give any justification explaining the circumstances that prompted the government to arrive at such a decision.

Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury claimed that the state government’s decision once again laid bare the BJP’s tried and tested formula of ‘use and throw’, which had been in practice ever since the PM Modi-led government assumed power at the Centre.

“The government has disregarded the hopes and aspirations of the people who applied for the jobs. The ruling class is trying hard to make the ‘use and throw’ policy in recruitment the new order of recruitment. The number of permanent jobs is shrinking and the jobs which are promised through outsourcing and temporary arrangements are also not being delivered in time,” Chaudhury said.

Hitting out at the government on the issue, Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee President Asish Kumar Saha on Sunday accused the government of playing with the future of the job aspirants.

“Making recruitment processes unnecessarily lengthier or inviting fresh applications for job advertisements made earlier has become the nature of the government. And, the case of Special Executives is no exception. The aspirants had been waiting for the last four years with hope, and it just took a notification for the government to trample their hopes.

This move has exposed the BJP-led state government’s anti-youth attitude. Their policies by nature are against the job seekers and youngsters who are facing the brunt of rising unemployment,” alleged Saha.

The Congress leader also demanded an inquiry into the matter and stringent punishment for those who were found responsible for this whole act.

“The Congress party demands a fair inquiry into the matter and whoever is responsible for this must get punished. And, most importantly, the government has the responsibility to disclose why the process of recruitment was cancelled when it has been repeatedly stated that the entire process was wrapped up,” claimed Saha.

CPIM’s youth wing DYFI also vehemently opposed the move and urged the aspirants to come out of their homes in protest.

“On November 23, 2022, the notification for Special Executive recruitment was issued and we noticed that thousands of job seekers stood in long queues in front of their respective police stations for interviews. Four years down the line, all their efforts had been disregarded with just a notification. It looks like the ruling party used that recruitment drive as bait for the job aspirants to sail through the election boat,” said DYFI state president Palash Bhowmik.

More than politics, the decision of the government has unsettled the aspirants who had been waiting for the last four years as well. The desperation of the aspirants could be noticed in the social media feeds of politicians.

In almost every post the Ministers and MLAs made in the last couple of years, the comments of job aspirants seeking to know the status of the recruitment became a common sight.

In this highly competitive age where merit has become the sole yardstick for permanent government jobs, the posts of Special Executives came as a beacon of hope for thousands of youth who are willing to serve the government but can’t compete in the exams.

Even in the ruling BJP, murmurs of discontent over the decision could be heard. Many leaders are, reportedly, dissatisfied with the decision.