State Congress President Nana Patole launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and demanded an apology for the injustice done to the youth of Maharashtra through contract recruitment. In a fiery statement, Patole also called for Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar to issue similar apologies.
The controversy over contract recruitment erupted after the BJP staged protests across the state, urging the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, along with leaders like Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, to apologize for introducing contract recruitment in government hiring.
Former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, addressing the issue on Friday, announced the scrapping of a government order that had allowed recruiting staff on a contract basis through nine private agencies. He asserted that the decision to employ a short-term workforce was taken during the previous MVA government's tenure.
“The BJP and Devendra Fadnavis have deprived youth of jobs, while projects of the state have gone to Gujarat,” Patole told reporters.
"The BJP and Fadnavis should stop this gimmick (of protests) and must apologise and also ask Shinde and Ajit Pawar to do the same. Fadnavis is misleading people on the issue of contract recruitment," Patole said.
"The youth have understood the falsehoods of the BJP. While 2.5 lakh government posts are vacant in Maharashtra, the BJP government is not filling these posts. The BJP is behind the scams in teacher recruitment, police recruitment, MPSC exams and talathi recruitment," he alleged.
Attacking the BJP over farmer suicides, unemployment and industries moving out of Maharashtra, Patole claimed several youth who cleared exams were yet to get appointment letters even after two to three years.
"Last month a GR (government resolution) was issued to fill highly important posts like that of tehsildar and naib tehsildar on contract basis instead of recruitment through MPSC exams. Fadnavis is trying to keep his image clean by blaming others," Patole said.
The BJP government in the state has deprived lakhs of youth of jobs by allowing projects like Vedanta Foxcoon, Tata Airbus etc to leave the state and set up units elsewhere, he said.
"Farmers' suicides have increased, there is no remunerative price for farm produce, crime has increased, inflation is at all time high and bullying by ruling MLAs and MPs has gone up," he alleged.
"Even if the BJP, Fadnavis and (state unit chief) Chandrashekhar Bawankule apologise a hundred times to the people of Maharashtra, their sins will not be washed away. People have recognised the BJP's sinister plans and will teach them a lesson by sending them home (defeat in polls)," Patole said.