New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Narendra Modi-led government, alleging that the BJP is seeking to undermine reservations for SC, ST, OBC and EWS communities by keeping government positions vacant, reducing permanent employment and increasing contractual hiring.

Kharge made the allegations in a post on X, claiming that the government's employment policies were aimed at weakening the constitutional rights associated with reservation.

Kharge flags rise in vacant government posts

"The Modi government has hatched a plan to end reservations through the back door!! In 2015, there were 4.21 lakh vacant posts in the central government. By 2024, this number has risen to 8.24 lakh. In Railways, there are 2.40 lakh vacant posts. In Defense, 2.41 lakh. In the Home Ministry, 1.10 lakh," Kharge said.

He also pointed to what he described as a decline in permanent employment in Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), alongside a sharp increase in contractual employment.

"In PSUs, 5.1 lakh permanent jobs have been eliminated. The share of contractual workers has risen from 19% to 49%," he noted.

'Social Justice' at centre of reservation row

Kharge argued that the issue extends beyond employment figures and directly concerns social justice and access to constitutionally mandated reservations.

"The question is not just about employment, but about social justice. Keep government posts vacant, and the opportunity for reservations ends. Sell off PSUs, and reserved jobs end. Convert permanent jobs to contracts, and reservations end," the Congress President said.

He further alleged that the BJP could weaken reservation benefits without pursuing a constitutional amendment by reducing the number of jobs covered by the reservation system.

"To end reservations, it's not necessary to amend the Constitution--just eliminating jobs with reservations is enough. This is the agenda of the BJP, which opposes social justice. Keep posts vacant. Sell off PSUs. Increase contracting. And snatch away the constitutional rights of SC, ST, OBC, EWS," he added.

Kharge concluded his attack by saying, "The BJP policy of conspiring to end the rights granted by Babasaheb's Constitution has now been exposed."