BJP delegation meets President Murmu over Kerala PSC recruitment irregularities

A delegation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) met President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi on Thursday, November 5, 2026. Led by nominated Rajya Sabha member C. Sadanandan Master, the delegation included Kerala BJP State President Rajiv Chandrasekhar and nominated Rajya Sabha member P.T. Usha. The team submitted a memorandum to the President demanding the removal of Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC) Chairman M.R. Baiju and other members of the Commission from their posts.

According to reports by Hindustan Times and The Hindu, this demand is based on a recommendation made by the former Governor of Kerala, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar. Before his transfer from Kerala to become the Governor of Tamil Nadu, Arlekar had recommended to the President that M.R. Baiju should be removed following a Crime Branch investigation into alleged irregularities in recruitment to the State Planning Board. This was the first time in the state's history that a Governor had recommended the dismissal of a PSC Chairman. The BJP team has requested the President to forward this recommendation to the Supreme Court.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Rajiv Chandrasekhar stated that many youths in Kerala have been deprived of jobs for the past few months. He alleged that the PSC is under the control of vested interests such as the CPM and SFI, leading to flaws in the administrative system. PSC rank holders have been protesting in front of the Secretariat for over 100 days. The primary demands of these candidates include issuing appointment letters to all eligible candidates before the LPST rank list expires, entrusting the appointment of aided-school teacher posts to the PSC, ending the alleged 'cash-for-job' practice in recruitment, and reducing the teacher-student ratio to 1:25.

Chandrasekhar levelled serious allegations of ambiguity and hypocrisy against the Congress party. He remarked that while Congress is raising students' issues in Tamil Nadu through programmes like 'Chhatron Ki Gunj', it remains silent on unemployment and PSC irregularities in Kerala. Attacking Rahul Gandhi, he questioned why, if he can visit Tamil Nadu, he does not come here to speak about the severe unemployment in Kerala.

Additionally, the BJP leader criticised Congress over the issue of Special Intensive Revision (SIR). He stated that Congress raises questions against SIR in Delhi but supports it in Kerala. Chandrasekhar further added that the people of Kerala were deceived in the 2026 elections, where Congress and CPM pretended to be separate, but for the last six months, Congress has been attempting to save CPM from corruption probes in Delhi to secure its support against SIR.

On the other hand, Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satyanandan criticised former Governor Arlekar on Wednesday. He stated that the Governor had sent the recommendation to the President to remove Chairman Baiju without any consultation with the state government.

Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar previously served as the Governor of Kerala and was subsequently transferred as the Governor of Tamil Nadu.