Patton accused of running home dept as ‘personal employment industry’

Dimapur, March 27 (EMN): The anti-graft movement, Against Corruption and Unabated Taxation (ACAUT) has accused home minister Y Patton of running the state home department as “personal employment industry”.

in a no-holds-barred statement issued on Wednesday, ACAUT Nagaland stated: “The recent justification and reply given by home minister Y Patton on backdoor appointment during the Assembly session was a direct insult to lakhs of unemployed Naga youths and have exposed the pitiable condition under which the department of Home is being run as personal employment industry along with its subordinate fiefdoms.”

according to ACAUT: “The justification of Y Patton that “’P&AR memorandum in 2010, the appointment of lower grade posts in the police department were exempted from seeking clearance of the government, thus appointment of ABSI/UBSI and clerical posts were done from the PHQ while the appointment of constables were done at SPs and Commandants level’ is a pitiable excuse as the memorandum does not permit backdoor appointment.”

It questioned whether Y Patton, as home minster who has been sworn under the constitution of India, knows Article 16 of the Indian constitution and its clauses which ensures equality of opportunity in matters of public employment. “If the home minister is ignorant then he should educate himself of such constitutional provision to run an important department such as Home affairs.

“ACAUT Nagaland would also like to refresh the memory of home minister that on November 5, 2015, Chakhesang Students’ Union (CSU) exposed thousands of backdoor appointments in his department therefore, any layman can safely conclude that he has made no effort to take corrective measures to streamline his employment Industry, depriving lakhs of unemployed youths of opportunity to compete in open recruitment.”

The home department has also ignored and undermined the state reservation policy which reserves 37 % for backward tribes with 25% for Eastern Nagaland and 12% for others, it stated. “Therefore as per home minister’s figure, 2078 (appointed more than the strength of 2 battalions) post has been filled through backdoor appointment between the period of 2013 till 2017 and as per the reservation policy, 519 post belongs to Eastern Nagas and 249 for rest.

“ACAUT Nagaland would like to make it clear to the home minister that he is not above Indian Constitution and state policy, therefore the home minister has no choice but to cancel all the backdoor appointments in home department and call for open recruitment as per Article 16 of Indian constitution and state reservation policy. ACAUT Nagaland also appeals ENPO and other backward tribes to voice out and fight for their rights of 768 posts which can help usher into a leap and bound economic and social up-liftmen (sic) of our backward brothers.”

ACAUT Nagaland, it stated, could not but to point out that the Nagaland home minister ‘has created negative parliamentary history and wrong precedence by implicating officers for the backdoor appointments instead of taking responsibility.’

“This has also made it crystal clear that he is not in control of the department but the fiefdoms of Commandants and SPs are at large making the legislative and the executive branch of democracy in Nagaland a mockery. Therefore the chief minister has no choice but take cognizance of the failure of the home minister.

“The state of affairs in Nagaland is deeply disturbing as tens of thousands of educated unemployed youths compete for few seats in NPSC every year whereas; the home department backdoor appointment has outpaced NPSC in recruitment in the last four years. It may be mentioned that earlier the post of ABSI/UBSI was requisition by NPSC which was again taken back by the home department. Therefore, ACAUT Nagaland demands that recruitment for ABSI/UBSI should be immediately requisitioned to NPSC,” it stated.