Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the Modi government of weakening reservation through a “backdoor” by keeping over 8.2 lakh sanctioned government posts vacant. Citing media reports, he said vacancies have nearly doubled since 2015, while permanent PSU jobs have declined and contractual hiring has increased, threatening opportunities for SC, ST, OBC and EWS communities.
The Congress on Monday attacked the Centre over more than 8.2 lakh sanctioned posts reportedly lying vacant across government civilian establishments, and alleged that the Modi government had hatched a plan to end reservations through the back door.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the BJP policy of conspiring to end the rights granted by the Constitution had been “exposed”.
His remarks came over media reports that more than 8.2 lakh sanctioned posts were lying vacant across central government civilian establishments.
चोर दरवाज़े से मोदी सरकार ने आरक्षण ख़त्म करने की योजना रची !!
2015 में केंद्र सरकार में 4.21 लाख पद खाली थे। 2024 में यह संख्या बढ़कर 8.24 लाख हो गई।
रेलवे में 2.40 लाख पद खाली हैं। डिफेंस में 2.41 लाख। गृह मंत्रालय में 1.10 लाख।
PSU में 5.1 लाख स्थायी नौकरियां खत्म हो गईं।… pic.twitter.com/bGTfoUX7nW
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) August 24, 2026
Kharge shared a screenshot of ministry-wise vacant posts based on a media report that claimed that over a decade, the number of vacant posts in the central government had nearly doubled.
In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge said, “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, while in defence there are 2.41 lakh vacant posts, he claimed, citing the report.
“In the Home Ministry, 1.10 lakh vacant posts. In PSUs, 5.1 lakh permanent jobs have been eliminated. The share of contractual workers has risen from 19% to 49%. The question is not just about employment, but about social justice,” he said.