BJP targets Rahul Gandhi over KPSC recruitment row in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is seeking to strengthen its support among young people in Keralam by backing protests over alleged irregularities in recruitment by the Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC), while targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his silence on the issue. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has extended support to job aspirants protesting against recruitment irregularities and delays in appointments. Both the ruling Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the opposition Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) have faced criticism over their handling of the grievances. BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar questioned why Gandhi, who has been leading the Congress's national-level ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign, had not addressed the protests in Keralam. Chandrasekhar alleged that the Congress was adopting double standards by raising students' concerns nationally while remaining silent on the state's recruitment controversy. The BJP has also approached Governor Om Prakash Mathur, seeking action against the KPSC. A recommendation by former Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to the President to remove KPSC chairman M.R. Baiju over alleged irregularities has further intensified the political debate. Baiju was appointed during the previous LDF government's tenure. Meanwhile, candidates who cleared KPSC examinations for teacher posts continue to protest over delays in appointments. They allege that assurances given by the UDF before it came to power have not translated into action. The agitation has intensified after S. Valarmathi, leader of the Lower Primary School Teacher Rank Holders' Association, relaunched an indefinite protest by tonsuring her head last week. Police registered a case against the protesters, and Valarmathi was reportedly taken to hospital by force, prompting accusations that the government was attempting to suppress the agitation. The recruitment controversy has emerged as a political opportunity for the BJP to challenge both major fronts while positioning itself as a supporter of aggrieved job aspirants.