Bengaluru, Nov 11 — Activist and senior advocate Girish Bharadwaj on Wednesday has written to the Chief Secretary of the Karnataka government, seeking the immediate withdrawal of a tender issued by the Directorate of Minorities for providing 60 days of Army training exclusively to students belonging to minority communities for the academic year 2026-27.
In his letter, Bharadwaj raised constitutional concerns over restricting the publicly funded training programme to students from notified minority communities, alleging that it effectively excludes Hindu students irrespective of their financial background, educational qualifications, physical capabilities or interest in joining the Indian Armed Forces.
He pointed out that the Directorate of Minorities issued a short-term tender notification on November 2 through the e-procurement portal, inviting eligible bidders and institutions to provide the 60-day training programme. The pre-bid meeting was scheduled for November 6, while November 20 is the last date for submission of tenders.
Bharadwaj argued that a publicly funded programme associated with national defence and service to the nation cannot discriminate among young citizens on religious grounds.
He said such exclusion raises serious constitutional questions under Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution, which guarantee equality before the law and prohibit discrimination on specified grounds.
He also noted that a similar programme providing 60 days of pre-recruitment training for Army and police recruitment was implemented by the Directorate during 2023-24, with eligibility restricted to minority candidates.
According to him, the recurrence of such a policy indicates that the exclusion of students from other communities is an institutionalised feature rather than an incidental administrative decision.
Stressing that programmes aimed at preparing youth for national service should unite young citizens rather than divide them on religious lines, Bharadwaj urged the Chief Secretary to intervene and direct the Directorate to withdraw the tender immediately.
He suggested that pre-recruitment training opportunities for the Armed Forces should be made accessible to all deserving students irrespective of religion. He also proposed strengthening and expanding National Cadet Corps (NCC) units in government and aided educational institutions in coordination with the NCC Directorate, besides organising structured pre-recruitment coaching programmes.
He said the government, as a constitutional institution, was duty-bound to ensure that public resources and opportunities were administered in accordance with the principles of equality, fairness and non-discrimination.
State Home Minister Priyank Kharge, responding to the BJP's criticism of the state's national defence training programme for minorities, had said such programmes were regularly conducted by different departments for various communities.
He said the Social Welfare Department conducted programmes for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, while the Minority Welfare Department organised training for minorities.
He questioned the BJP's objection to providing Army recruitment training to citizens and said the government did not need its permission.
Kharge clarified that the programme was intended to prepare citizens for recruitment into the Army, and not for paramilitary forces or private organisations such as the RSS. “If we do not train our own citizens, then who will?” he asked.