Youth Congress intensifies protest over PSC rank list issue in Ker

This shows the arrogance ofthe government, he charged.Chandy said the government should extend the rank listby 18 more months, failing which the LDF will have to pay ahuge price.Vijayan had earlier said the government has released4,012 rank lists in five years covering nearly four lakhpeople.Currently, there were 5,28,231 government staff acrossthe state and every year only 25,000 appointments can be made,he had said, while noting that all the PSC rank lists endingthis month have already been extended by six months.Appointments in government posts are made from the ranklists published by the PSC after relevant periodical exams andinterviews.

Youth Congress workers onTuesday intensified their protest demanding extension ofvalidity of the public service commission rank lists andalleging back-door appointments by the ruling LDF, even asChief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan lashed out at the party,sayingthe opposition was misleading the public and job aspirants.

''Some have been alleging that PSC has been made a rubberstamp and back-door appointments are rampant.

Even a former chief minister was alleging the same.

It's surprising that the former chief minister has beensupporting a protest seeking to give appointment to everyonein a rank list and to revive an expired rank list,'' Vijayantold reporters here.

Earlier in the day, former chief minister and seniorCongress leader Chandy had visited the protesters led by theYouth Congress and demanded that the rank list of Civil PoliceOfficer (CPO), which expired in June 2020, be revived.

''How can we revive a list that was expired in June 2020?Is there any law prevailing in the state for that purpose? Arethe opposition leaders unaware of such matters? They areaware.

They want to mislead the youngsters and gain politically.

That'stheir aim,'' Vijayan said.

The CPI(M) heading the LDF maintained the agitation wasaimed at forcing the government to make illegal appointmentsin various departments.

In a related development, the All India Youth Federation(AIYF), the youth wing of the CPI, a major LDF ally, helddiscussions with the rank holders, agitating in front of thestate secretariat here since January 26, to find an amicablesolution on their demand for extending the rank list.

The Youth Congress activists, who have extended supportto the agitation by the rank holders, staged protests acrossthe state.

The stir here turned violent and police used watercannons to disperse the agitating workers of the YouthCongress, which has accused the Pinarayi Vijayan government ofmaking back-door appointments in various governmentdepartments in the guise of regularising the services oftemporary staff instead of appointing those on rank lists.

Countering the charges, CPI-M state secretary in-chargeA Vijayaraghavan wondered how the government can appointpeople from 'expired' rank lists.

''How can we encourage a protest to force the governmentto make illegal appointments? The Congress is encouragingviolent politics. This is a conspiracy to create unrest,'' healleged.

Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly andsenior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala sought to know whythe chief minister was 'reluctant' to settle the protest ofthe rank holders.

''They have been begging the government for jobs. But thegovernment refuses to pay heed. This shows the arrogance ofthe government,'' he charged.

Chandy said the government should ''extend the rank list''by 18 more months, failing which the LDF ''will have to pay ahuge price''.

Vijayan had earlier said the government has released4,012 rank lists in five years covering nearly four lakhpeople.

Currently, there were 5,28,231 government staff acrossthe state and every year only 25,000 appointments can be made,he had said, while noting that all the PSC rank lists endingthis month have already been extended by six months.

Appointments in government posts are made from the ranklists published by the PSC after relevant periodical exams andinterviews. The lists will have five times more people thanthe number of vacancies and are valid for periods ranging fromone to three years.