Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has come down on UP’s minister for basic education Satish Dwivedi after it was revealed that his brother got a job under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category.
“Lakhs in UP are waiting for jobs but these are going to those who are finding opportunity in crisis”, said the Congress general secretary in a post.
Arun Dwivedi, the brother of the basic education minister was appointed professor of psychology at the Siddharth University Kapilvastu at Siddharthnagar.
There were two posts in the department of psychology in the said university. One of these was reserved for a member of the Other Backward Castes (OBC) while the other was for the EWS category.
The tenure of the university’s vice-chancellor Surendra Dubey was to end on May 21 but he was given an extension just one day before that. Speculation is rife that this extension was given to hand over an appointment letter to Dwivedi.
Dubey however said, “I have no knowledge of the appointees' relationship with a minister. His appointment was made on the basis of his application and qualification”.
He has also denied any pressure for the appointment. He said that his tenure had been increased only for such a period till a replacement could be found.
Arun Dwivedi was an assistant professor at Rajasthan’s Banasthali Vidyapith earlier. On the website of the Vidyapith, his name is listed as ‘Arun Kumar’ and his qualifications are listed as M.A and PhD.
In his affidavit for the 2017 Vidhan Sabha election, Satish Dwivedi had listed Rs 3.3 lakhs worth of shares and other financial instruments and Rs 2.8 lakh of jewellery among his assets.
The Dwivedis live jointly.
Vadra has said that the appointment of a minister’s brother in the EWS category is “a joke on the poor and on reservation”.
She also drew attention to Dwivedi’s statement in which he had said that the death of teachers who were on panchayat poll duty was “an opposition ploy”.
On January 31, 2019, the Government of India had introduced reservation for EWS sections, stating that “The persons belonging to EWSs who, are not covered under the scheme of reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs shall get 10% reservation in direct recruitment in civil posts and services in the Government of India”.
Only such persons meet the criteria who have a “gross annual income below Rs 8 lakh.. Income shall also include income from all sources i.e. salary, agriculture, business, profession, etc. for the financial year before the year of application”, say the guidelines.
Since the income certificate has to be provided by a government officer (DM, SDM, Tehsildar etc.), former IPS officer Amitabh Thakur has also written to the Governor (who is the chancellor of all universities in the state) to have investigated how the certificate was issued.
