Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad faced some embarrassing moments in Bangalore and later in Tumkur on Monday when he came to attend some railway functions, including the inauguration of an express train. The train was delayed by a few minutes as some protesters -- who have been demanding jobs for Kannadigas in the railways -- climbed on top of the train and raised slogans, before the police whisked them away.  It was not the most ideal situation to seek a “favour” from Lalu Prasad, who is known for his quick temper. Mr Prasad said: “This is the age of competition. There cannot be any preference or reservation for Kannadigas in railway jobs. When we are following the same principles from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, how can the Kannadigas claim that they are being discriminated against?”

The controversy arose after some organisations stalled the recruitment of 340 personnel for group ‘C’ and ‘D’ posts in the railways in the state last month, demanding that the locals be given priority in selection since these are mostly clerical and menial jobs requiring only basic qualifications. Their contention was that the people from Bihar were getting “preference” over others because the railway board officials wanted to please the minister.

The allegation was not the first of its kind as similar protests have been held in other parts of the country, including Tamil Nadu.

With around 14 lakh employees on its rolls, the Indian Railways is the biggest public sector employer in the country and it is but natural that people across the country look upto it for employment opportunities. It is also a fact that politicians from Bihar have dominated the railway ministry since 1996 – except for a brief period during NDA regime when Mamta Bannerjee headed the ministry – and they have not been averse to milk the railways for helping their “constituents.” Ram Vilas Paswan made nearly one lakh ad hoc appointments during his tenure and most of them had to be regularised later. Mr Prasad is also reported to have been generous with appointments for people from his state.

So, when he talks of “competence” as the criteria for selection in the railways, it is taken with a pinch of salt. No doubt, in this age of competition, the railways should look for the best talent in the country, especially for key technical and administrative posts, but for recruitment at lower levels, there is a case for giving some weightage for the locals. More importantly, the railways should introduce a fair and transparent system of recruitment so that there is no scope for complaint.