Haryana BJP MLA questions party’s merit-based jobs policy, warns of anti-incumbency

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Safidon, Ram Kumar Gautam, has criticised former Chief Minister Manohar Lal’s policy of providing government jobs strictly on merit, saying it was “wrong” and had alienated party workers whose children remained unemployed despite their contribution to the party. Interacting with media persons in his Assembly constituency on Thursday (October 29, 2026), he also warned that Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini could face anti-incumbency if he failed to address their concerns in time.

The BJP has consistently projected its policy of providing jobs without political recommendations or bribes, encapsulated in the slogan ‘Naukri bina parchi, bina kharchi’, as one of its biggest achievements in Haryana. However, Mr. Gautam questioned the rationale behind the policy, arguing that party workers who had worked hard to bring the BJP to power were being left out.

“If you give jobs only on merit and the children of those who formed your government and believed in you remain unemployed, what is the point of merit? This was Manohar Lal’s mistake. He gave jobs only on merit,” he said.

Questioning the emphasis on merit, the MLA said, “What is merit? It is the duty of every Chief Minister to give everyone their due, whether through merit or otherwise,” he quipped.

Mr. Gautam, known for his outspoken remarks, had quit the Jannayak Janta Party and joined the BJP ahead of the 2024 Assembly election.

He said party workers who had devoted their time and energy to the BJP, voted for it and persuaded others to do so would inevitably become disillusioned if their children continued to remain unemployed.

The remarks come amid continuing political debate over government recruitment in Haryana. In August, BJP State president Archana Gupta had triggered a controversy by accusing the Congress and the Indian National Lok Dal of giving jobs to people belonging to a particular community. The Opposition had alleged that her remarks were directed at farmers and the Jats, the State’s dominant community.

Defending the BJP government’s recruitment policy, former Haryana BJP media in-charge Arvind Saini said that providing jobs strictly on merit, without favouritism or bribery, remained a priority. “It is because jobs are being given without parchi [political recommendations] or kharchi [bribes] that the entire State stands with the BJP government today,” he said.

Deputy Leader of the Congress Legislative Party Aftab Ahmed, meanwhile, questioned the government’s recruitment record and asked where the promised jobs were. He alleged that the government was not filling regular posts and was instead engaging people on contract through the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam (HKRN) at meagre salaries. Mr. Ahmed also questioned the transparency of recruitment through HKRN, alleging large-scale corruption and nepotism and claiming that appointments were being made on the recommendations of BJP leaders.

politics / Haryana / Bharatiya Janata Party