In a conflicting turn of events in the state capital, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma on Thursday simultaneously received felicitations and attended a gratitude ceremony hosted by women for his decision to increase their quota from 30 to 50 per cent in the third-grade teacher recruitment examination at his residence. Meanwhile, hundreds of students staged a massive protest against the BJP government’s implementation of the quota increase at Shaheed Smarak here.

Recently, the CM approved a proposal to amend the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, increasing the reservation for women in Grade-3 teacher recruitment from 30 to 50 per cent. It was done in accordance with the BJP’s election manifesto for the 2023 assembly polls. More than 25,000-30,000 vacancies of Grade-3 teachers exist in the state, with many positions either vacant or expected to be created.

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On the one hand, the CM was enjoying his felicitation and addressing the gratitude ceremony where women from various areas of the state expressed their appreciation and honoured him for the decision.

On Thursday afternoon, a large number of youth gathered at Jaipur’s Shaheed Smarak to protest. The police subsequently locked them in the Shaheed Smarak itself. Yuva Shakti Integrated Mahasangh state president Manoj Meena was forcibly taken away from the protest site by the police administration.

“The government and administration cannot suppress the voice of unemployment in this manner. The BJP seems to have forgotten that it lost 11 MPs in the recent Lok Sabha polls in Rajasthan. If this partiality in employment continues, they may find themselves winning only 11 out of 200 assembly polls next time,” Meena told the media before his arrest.

Before Thursday’s anti-quota agitation against the government, protests had already begun across the state among aspiring male candidates, who are preparing to appear in the competitive Grade-3 teachers’ recruitment examination.

In his address to women’s groups, the CM said, “It is the duty of the state government to ensure respect and equal opportunities for women. Self-reliant, empowered, and educated women are the identity of a progressive society. He said that the state government is determined to take decisive steps towards women empowerment and give half of the population their due rights”.

Trying to convey his message to the boys, the CM said, “The youth need not worry. The state government is committed to providing proper employment in government services. In the near future, vacancies will be filled through phased recruitment examinations. Furthermore, we will ensure the participation of youth by generating employment in areas where their presence is required.

He justified that the decision to provide 50 per cent reservation to women in the recruitment of Grade-3 teachers would enable a large number of women to engage in teaching roles in government primary and upper primary schools. He said this would also encourage them to take care of the children studying there with affection.