Congress MLAs Protest in Assam Assembly Over Polytechnic Faculty Termination

Congress MLAs on Wednesday staged a protest within the premises of the Assam Legislative Assembly, demanding a discussion on the recent termination of faculty members from newly established Polytechnics in the state.

Speaking to the media, Assam's Leader of Opposition (LoP) and Congress leader Debabrata Saikia strongly criticized the government's decision, calling it "unfortunate" and accusing the administration of "derecognizing" the contributions of these faculty members.

"Today, we asked for an adjournment motion to discuss a very important matter. In 2017, the Assam government set up more than 11 Polytechnics, and the teachers appointed in those institutions were highly qualified. The cut-off mark for application was 82 percent; all due processes, including interviews, were conducted. They were only asking for better service conditions since they were not being paid regular salaries, and their appointment letters were not issued. They were protesting for that. Two days back, the government terminated their services, derecognizing their contributions. This is very unfortunate," said Saikia.

Expressing concern over the impact of the decision on local employment, Saikia further stated, "In Assam, if our young and talented people don’t get jobs, how will they stay in the state? Will these positions not be filled by outsiders? Several states, including Gujarat, have provisions ensuring that the majority of job posts are filled by locals. But the Assam government, through such actions, is trying to push Assamese talent away from their home state. We demand discussions on this issue and answers from the government."

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma chaired the first-ever conference of District Commissioners and Co-District Commissioners at Lok Sewa Bhawan in Guwahati.

During the meeting, he reviewed various initiatives aimed at enhancing public welfare and governance. The Chief Minister also directed the administration to ensure the implementation of all budgetary announcements and to build on the gains of Advantage Assam 2.0.

Also Read: Assam CM Defends APSC Recruitment Probe, Targets Congress in Assembly