Anti-CAA protests: Assam govt urges AASU not to disrupt recruitment drive

Guwahati: Assam Information and Public Relations Minister Pijush Hazarika on Thursday appealed to the CAA protesters not to create any restless environment during the examination for the massive recruitment drive that is scheduled to begin next Sunday.

"We may have differences in terms of our ideology, but one should not create a restless environment during one of the largest recruitment drives of the state government, keeping the job aspirants as hostages," he said.

Assam is gearing up for a large recruitment drive to engage nearly 30,000-strong workforce to grade 3 and 4 posts in the state government departments. The three-phase recruitment process will commence next Sunday. More than 14 lakh candidates are expected to appear in the examination.

Meanwhile, the anti-CAA protest has returned to the state. The All Assam Students Union (AASU) has planned for another round of agitation within the next few days.

The state government is fearing disruption in the examination if agitation and protests happen on days of examination.

Hazarika, meanwhile, taking a jibe at AASU and other organisations, also said that during the 2019 protest against the CAA, some leaders and organisations had misled the common people with twisted and wrong facts and statements. Some miscreants even damaged many properties in Guwahati including Kalaskhetra in the name of protest then.

"Yet the people understood the reality and gave the mandate to the current government," he added.

Notably, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had already held a virtual meeting with the government officials and other stakeholders on Wednesday and instructed them to take all necessary steps for a smooth examination process.