New Delhi [India], July 27 (ANI): Congress General Secretary in charge of Communications, Jairam Ramesh, on Sunday flagged what he described as a 'staggering level of vacancies' in reserved faculty positions in Central Universities, citing data disclosed by the Union Government in response to a Rajya Sabha question.

Taking to social media platform X, Ramesh wrote, 'The Modi Government has revealed the staggering level of vacancies among SC (Schedule Caste), ST (Schedule Tribe), and OBC (Other Backward Classes) reserved faculty positions in Central Universities - 80% positions for OBCs, 83% positions for STs, and 64% positions for SCs at the Professor level are vacant. In the general category, the vacancies are 39%.'

Quoting an official document from the Ministry of Education and Department of Higher Education, he further stated that 69% of positions for OBCs, 65% of positions for STs, and 51% of positions for SCs at the Associate Professor level are vacant. In the general category, the vacancy rate is 16%.

Highlighting the Assistant Professor level data, the Congress leader said, '23% positions for OBCs, 15% positions for STs, and 14% positions for SCs at the Assistant Professor level are vacant. In the general category, the vacancies are only 8%.'

Further in his X post, a Rajya Sabha MP, also pointed out that the Government has claimed it does not centrally collect data on the prevalence of 'Not Found Suitable' (NFS) cases in faculty recruitment, but argued that the available data is unequivocal.

He concluded his post by linking the issue to a recent statement by the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. 'This is clear evidence of the issue that Rahul Gandhi has raised - that NFS is being weaponised against SC, ST, and OBC candidates to deny them fair employment opportunities and to subvert the Constitutional provision for reservations in public employment.'

Earlier, in May, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi hit out at the Centre over what he described as systemic discrimination against Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBS) in higher education institutions, alleging that the practice of rejecting candidates as 'Not Found Suitable' (NFS) was a new form of 'Manuvaad'.

In a post on X, he accused that qualified SC, ST and OBC candidates were 'deliberately disqualified' by this practice to exclude them from leadership roles, highlighting that in Delhi University, over 60 per cent of reserved professor positions and 30 per cent of associate professor positions remain vacant due to this categorisation.

He accused the Modi government of undermining BR Ambedkar's vision of education as a tool for equality.

'Not Found Suitable' ab naya Manuvaad hain. Qualified SC/ST/OBC candidates are being deliberately 'disqualified' - to keep them away from education and leadership. Babasaheb had said: Education is the biggest weapon for equality. But the Modi government is busy blunting that weapon. In Delhi University, more than 60 per cent of the reserved posts of professors and more than 30 per cent of the reserved posts of associate professors have been kept vacant by calling them NFS,' he stated. (ANI)