‘Peons ours, officers from outside’: Surjewala targets Haryana govt. over ‘brazen daylight robbery’ of jobs

Congress Rajya Sabha member and party national general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Haryana of “brazen daylight robbery” of jobs meant for the State’s youth, alleging that posts of Class 1 to 3 officers and teachers were being filled with “outsiders” as part of a “calculated strategy”.

“‘The peons are ours, but the officers come from outside Haryana’ – this formula of the Nayab Singh Saini government is now on the lips of every young person,” Mr. Surjewala said while addressing a press conference in Delhi.

He alleged that when the State government itself was pushing general category youth “into the abyss of unemployment”, others could not be expected to protect their interests.

“From [the previous government led by former Chief Minister] Manohar Lal to the current government led by Mr. Saini, the youth of Haryana have faced rejection, indifference, and betrayal. In every recruitment drive, jobs are secured by candidates from outside Haryana,” the Congress leader alleged.

Attacking the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) and the Haryana Staff Selection Commission, he claimed that 70-80% of officer posts are going to non-Haryanvis.

Citing the Assistant Professors (College Cadre) recruitment for teaching Hindi, Mr. Surjewala said the HPSC had advertised 139 posts on August 2, 2024, including 67 for the general category. Results announced in February and April this year showed only 60 posts were filled.

“Out of these 60, as many as 41 have been filled by individuals from outside Haryana. Does the BJP believe Haryana’s youth don’t even know how to read Hindi or are unfit to teach it? Could any government adopt a more shameful attitude?” he said.

Mr. Surjewala also pointed to a similar pattern in Psychology teaching posts. Of the 85 posts advertised, 44 were for the general category, but only two candidates were declared successful.

All 16 posts in the Scheduled Caste category went unfilled, while no eligible candidates were found for the 17 posts in Backward Class (A) and Backward Class (B). The five Economically Weaker Section posts also remained vacant, he said.

“The strategy is clear: either recruit outsiders or fail everyone and leave positions vacant,” Mr. Surjewala said, adding that educated Haryanvi youth are “forced to migrate abroad to work as labourers” while youth from other States are “brought in to rule”.

‘BJP conspiracy’

Reducing Haryanvis to “second-class citizens” is part of the BJP’s political strategy, the Congress leader claimed. He called for a comprehensive inquiry into what he termed the BJP’s “conspiracy to plunder” jobs. He said recruitment should align with Haryana’s culture, geography, and social conditions, so that youth familiar with local customs, language, and dialects are given “just and equitable priority”.