Uproar in UP Assembly over reservation and outsourcing; SP, BJP trade charges

The Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Monday witnessed heated exchanges between the ruling BJP and the opposition Samajwadi Party over the issues of reservation and outsourcing, leading to prolonged uproar in the House.

The confrontation began after Samajwadi Party MLA Sangram Yadav raised concerns over outsourcing and its impact on reservation.

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Responding to the allegations, state minister Anil Rajbhar launched a sharp attack on the Samajwadi Party. He said that while the SP talks about PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak), during its tenure, the benefits of reservation were allegedly cornered by a single community.

Rajbhar claimed that during the SP government, nearly 82 per cent of the benefits under OBC reservation went to one community, while several castes, including Rajbhar, Kewat, Mallah, and Chauhan, were deprived of their due share.

He further said that although the SP invokes Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution, social justice was neglected during its rule. He also alleged that the opposition raises the reservation issue during Assembly sessions to gain political mileage.

Speaking on behalf of the government, Rajbhar informed the House about employment provided to youth during the SP regime through job fairs and compared it with employment opportunities generated since the BJP came to power in 2017.

He added that the current government is organising separate job fairs for women to enhance their employment opportunities.

Earlier, Sangram Yadav accused the government of misleading youth in the name of outsourcing. He alleged that outsourcing was being used to avoid permanent recruitment and that young people were being exploited with low salaries ranging between Rs 12,000 and Rs 15,000 per month.

Yadav also claimed that outsourcing was being used to weaken the reservation rights of backward classes and Dalits, and alleged that reservation norms were not being properly followed in recruitment processes.

The government rejected these allegations, stating that detailed clarifications had already been given in the House on the reservation issue and accused the opposition of raising the matter repeatedly without justification.

The issue led to intense sloganeering, allegations, and counter-allegations, disrupting proceedings for a considerable period.