Nishar Mohammed & Vikramaditya
Sri Vijaya Puram, June 26, 2025:In a strongly worded press conference held at Sri Vijaya Puram, the Andaman and Nicobar Territorial Congress Committee (ANTCC) lashed out at the recent decision by the Andaman and Nicobar Administration to reduce the upper age limit for government job aspirants. The press briefing was led by Mr. Rangalal Halder, President of ANTCC, and Mr. TSG Bhasker, Chairman of the Campaign Committee of ANTCC today, who expressed deep concern over the policy shift, alleging it to be a deliberate attempt to deny employment opportunities to thousands of local youth.
Mr. Rangalal Halder began by sharing insights from his recent visit to North and Middle Andaman between June 23 and 25. He stated, “We undertook this tour to understand the ground reality, and what we witnessed was deeply disturbing. At Diglipur, a distressed mother approached us with tears in her eyes, questioning whether her 28-year-old son would now be disqualified from employment because of the newly reduced age limit.”
He further added, “I told her that we have raised this issue multiple times, through letters and direct meetings, but this administration—controlled entirely by the BJP from the Prime Minister to the local MP—has turned a deaf ear. It is a well-planned conspiracy against the youth of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.”
In his fiery remarks, Mr. Halder accused the central government of going back on its promises. “During elections, the BJP assured two crore jobs per year. In ten years, that should have been 20 crore jobs. But instead of creating jobs, they are eliminating opportunities by cutting down age limits. They are now arguing that there’s no demand for jobs, so there’s no point in recruitment. This is not just negligence; it is a betrayal.”
He pointed out that the socio-economic reality of the islands puts local students at a disadvantage. “Our children often take a break after their 10th or 12th to work and save money before they can afford college. When they finally graduate, they are already 25 or 26. With the new rules, they’re out of the race before even getting a chance.”
Calling this a “systematic exclusion”, Mr. Halder said, “This is a master plan to ensure that only affluent mainland candidates, who have access to better coaching and resources from childhood, can secure jobs. Poor and rural students from the islands cannot compete on these terms.”
Slamming the silence of the local MP, Mr. Halder said, “A notification with such grave implications has been issued, and our MP is nowhere to be seen. The MP should be leading the protest, voicing the concerns of the people. But he is silent because this is a BJP-administered territory. Even BJP workers are silent because they know the truth.”
Referring to earlier employment rules, Mr. Halder said, “Earlier, candidates up to the age of 35 or 37, especially women and OBC candidates, could apply for government jobs. Now, nearly 3,000 candidates will be rendered ineligible overnight. Is this the ‘Achhe Din’ they promised?”
Mr. Halder issued an emotional appeal to the public. “We ask every mother, every father, and every youth to wake up. Don’t fall for false promises again. This is a fight for our children’s future. If we don’t act now, Andaman will be finished.”
He concluded with a message to voters: “The people voted for BJP believing their promises. Now look where that has brought us. Congress has been warning the public for years, but our warnings were ignored. Today, the truth is in front of everyone.”
Following Mr. Halder, Mr. TSG Bhasker, Chairman of the Campaign Committee, reinforced the gravity of the situation. “As Mr. Halder rightly pointed out, the situation in North and Middle Andaman is serious. The age relaxation issue is very real. I humbly appeal to the administration and the Lt. Governor—please consider the genuine hardships faced by our youth and grant age relaxation.”
Mr. Bhasker pointed to the scale of the issue by referring to data from the Employment Exchange. “There are 80,000 registered candidates waiting for jobs. Recently, only 4,000 were considered during a job mela. What about the remaining 76,000? Many have lost years to COVID disruptions, during which recruitment was halted. Are these young people to be punished for circumstances beyond their control?”
He added that during a Home Guard recruitment event, “We saw nearly thousands of hopefuls crowding the stadium for just 190 posts. The turnout shows the level of desperation. The youth are not lazy. They are willing to work. But they need a fair chance.”
When asked if the Congress believes the age limit reduction was politically motivated, Mr. Bhasker said, “Absolutely. The BJP’s intention is clear. They want to limit competition by changing the rules of the game. Why else would the age limit be reduced suddenly, when the Lt. Governor had earlier permitted relaxations in recruitment?”
Mr. Bhasker affirmed that if their demands are not met, the party is prepared to take the fight to the streets. “We’ve already submitted a letter to the Lt. Governor. If we don’t see a response, we will organize mass protests and dharnas. Let me remind everyone—Mr. Halder had led a dharna before, and the case is still ongoing. But we won’t be deterred. This is about the future of our youth.”
He ended the press conference with a cautionary note. “If people don’t wake up now, even worse policies may be pushed through. We are not just fighting for Congress, we are fighting for every unemployed youth in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.”
