Thiruvananthapuram: BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Friday accused Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan of giving priority to national political campaigns over the concerns of students and job aspirants in Kerala, taking a swipe at the Chief Minister’s participation in the Rahul Gandhi-led Opposition protest against the NEET paper leak and police action against protesting students on July 20 in New Delhi.
Visiting LP School Teacher rank holders who have been staging an indefinite protest in front of the Secretariat, Rajeev Chandrasekhar pointed out that the Chief Minister had found time to travel to Delhi and join Rahul Gandhi’s agitation on Tuesday near Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s house over the NEET leak issue, but had failed to address the plight of candidates waiting for appointments in Kerala.
“The Chief Minister and his government have no time to intervene in the issues affecting students and job aspirants in Kerala. Instead, they travel to Delhi and become part of the political drama staged by Rahul Gandhi and the Congress. The priority should be to resolve the problems faced by these candidates,” Rajeev Chandrasekhar told reporters after interacting with the protesters.
The BJP leader said rank holders had legitimate concerns that deserved immediate attention from the government.
He urged the administration to initiate talks with the candidates and take steps to fill vacancies without further delay.
Assuring the protesters of the BJP’s support, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said he would personally meet General Education Minister N. Shamsudheen to press for an early solution.
He also promised that the issue would be raised in the Kerala Legislative Assembly.
“I have assured the candidates that their grievances will be taken up in the Assembly. We will pursue the matter until a fair solution is found,” he said.
The LP School Teacher rank holders have been protesting before the Secretariat, demanding appointments from the existing PSC rank list.
They contend that despite vacancies in government schools, appointments have not been made, leaving hundreds of qualified candidates waiting.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s visit injected fresh political attention into the agitation, with the BJP seeking to portray the protest as evidence of the government’s failure to address employment related concerns while remaining preoccupied with national political issues.
(IANS)
