3 weeks ago
Rajasthan minister joins Alwar sanitation workers' dharna
Sanitation workers in Alwar, a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, were waiting for official job letters.
They had been chosen for the jobs years ago, in a 2012 recruitment drive.
A court had already said the workers should get their letters, but the letters were delayed for more than a year.
A government minister named Sanjay Sharma sat with the workers at the city office to protest.
He said the city's top officials were not helping to fix the problem.
After about five hours, officials brought five appointment letters, and the protest ended.
The rest of the workers are expected to get their letters on August 16.
Leaders from the Congress party said the protest showed the government was not working well.
The minister said he would keep standing with the workers until everyone got their letters.
Rajasthan forest minister Sanjay Sharma staged a dharna at the Alwar Municipal Corporation on Wednesday over delayed appointment letters for sanitation workers.
Sharma blamed district collector Artika Shukla and municipal commissioner Sohan Singh Naruka for the delay and said he had informed the Chief Minister's Office.
The protest ended after about five hours when officials arrived with five appointment letters; remaining letters are to be distributed on August 16 at a program addressed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Articles differ on the number affected: Sharma cited 329 candidates from the 2012 drive, while another report said authorities were preparing to issue letters to 69 candidates.
Congress leaders Govind Singh Dotasra and Tika Ram Jully accused the BJP government of corruption, growing bureaucratic power, and administrative collapse.
- Who
- Rajasthan forest minister Sanjay Sharma, sanitation workers, district collector Artika Shukla, commissioner Sohan Singh Naruka, ADM Yogesh Dagur, and Congress leaders Govind Singh Dotasra and Tika Ram Jully.
- What
- A five-hour dharna (sit-in) demanding appointment letters for sanitation workers recruited in the 2012 drive.
- Where
- Alwar Municipal Corporation, Alwar, Rajasthan, India.
- When
- Wednesday, August 12, 2026.
- Why
- Appointment letters were delayed for more than a year despite a Rajasthan High Court order; Sharma accused the district collector and municipal commissioner of stalling the process.
Congress / Opposition View
Minister & Administration View
Cause of the delay
Congress / Opposition View
Congress leaders said the incident exposed a 'sorry state' of administration, with Dotasra alleging corruption had become so rampant that a minister had to protest against his own government.
Minister & Administration View
Minister Sharma blamed the Alwar collector and municipal commissioner for being unresponsive and delaying appointments despite court orders; he had also communicated the issue to the Chief Minister's Office.
Power of the bureaucracy
Congress / Opposition View
Dotasra and Jully alleged the bureaucracy had become so powerful that ministers were not being heard, MLAs were ignored, and the administrative machinery had completely collapsed.
Minister & Administration View
Sharma said officials should not behave as if they were above the people in a democracy, framing the standoff as official obstruction rather than a failure of the government.
Resolution of the protest
Congress / Opposition View
Jully questioned why a ruling-party minister had to protest against a civic body run by his own government, saying the incident exposed the 'true face' of the BJP government in Alwar.
Minister & Administration View
The administration resolved the matter within hours, issuing five appointment letters on the spot and scheduling distribution of the remaining letters for August 16 with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Key facts
- Protesting minister
- Sanjay Sharma, Rajasthan forest minister (BJP)
- Protest location
- Alwar Municipal Corporation, Rajasthan
- Issue
- Sanitation workers' appointment letters delayed for over a year
- Candidates affected
- Articles differ: 329 (per minister) vs 69 (per other report)
- Court order
- Rajasthan High Court ordered issuance of appointment letters last year
- Protest duration and outcome
- About five hours; five appointment letters issued on the spot
- Next distribution
- August 16, at a program addressed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah
- Officials blamed
- District collector Artika Shukla and municipal corporation commissioner
Quotes
Rajasthan Forest Minister Sanjay Sharma
State minister for forests and environment, protesting appointment delays
“"I spoke to the district collector, but her attitude was surprisingly negative. She appeared to be adamant and not in the mood to dispose of the matter. So, I came to the corporation office and sat on dharna with the workers."”
thehansindia.com
theprint.in
“"If a minister of the government himself has to struggle for justice, how will this government provide justice to poor sanitation workers and the common people?"”
theprint.in
Sources
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