Agartala, June 17:
The Twipra Students’ Federation (TSF) on Wednesday announced an agitation programme on June 24, demanding a special recruitment drive to fill thousands of backlog reserved vacancies for Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates in Tripura government departments beside introduction Kokborok language text books in Roman script in schools across the state.
Addressing a press conference at the Agartala Press Club, TSF vice president and North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) leader John Debbarma alleged that a large number of reserved posts have remained vacant for years despite the growing unemployment among educated tribal and SC youths in the state.
Debbarma said the organisation would stage a protest at Circuit House from 11 am to 1 pm on June 24 and submit memorandums to the state government, the Directorate of Recruitment and various departments demanding immediate action.
“Our primary demand is the filling up of SC and ST backlog reserved vacancies through a special recruitment drive. Thousands of educated youths are unemployed while reserved posts continue to remain vacant in different government departments,” he said.
According to TSF, there are approximately 6,742 backlog vacancies reserved for ST candidates and around 2,962 for SC candidates in the state government. Debbarma claimed the actual figures could be even higher.
The student body said it would also renew its demand for the introduction of Roman script on the covers of school textbooks and submit a fresh memorandum to the concerned authorities seeking implementation of the proposal.
Warning of intensified agitation if the demands are not addressed, Debbarma alleged that the government has so far failed to demonstrate the political will to resolve the issues.
“Until our demands are fulfilled, we will continue our democratic movement and repeatedly press the government to carry out the special recruitment drive,” he asserted.
The TSF leadership also condemned recent demands allegedly linking Scheduled Tribe status with religion. Debbarma argued that ST certificates and reservation benefits are constitutional safeguards based on tribal identity and not on religious affiliation.
“Reservation and ST status are not determined by religion. Attempts to bring religion into the issue are misleading and should be withdrawn,” he said.
The federation announced that memorandums would be submitted to concerned ministers and departments seeking department-wise action to clear the backlog vacancies and ensure the rights of SC and ST communities.
The timing of the TSF’s agitation is politically significant, coming just months before the crucial Village Council elections scheduled for the end of September. With the polls set to be held after a gap of more than a decade following Supreme Court intervention, the students’ body’s mobilisation is likely to draw attention to long-standing tribal issues and could influence the political discourse in the run-up to the elections.
