New Delhi:The Uttar Pradesh government has barred people protesting for a “regime change” or change in the “established system” from getting state government jobs, as it tightened the rules for recruitment amid growing dissent across the country. The Adityanath government revised guidelines of character verification norms for candidates selected through direct recruitment in government departments on Wednesday (October 28), The Hindu reported. It now mentions that individuals associated with organisations “seeking to change the existing political system through violent means” are ineligible for government jobs.“Any candidate found to be a member of an organisation that pledges or aims to alter the ‘vidyaman vyavastha’ (established system) through violent methods will be deemed ineligible for state employment. Political ideology won’t serve as a ground for disqualifying anyone from holding government jobs but those associated with organisations whose ‘sankalpit uddeshya’ (avowed objectives) is to force a regime change through violent means will be considered ineligible,” as per the circular.The rules will apply to character verification in government departments, public sector corporations, boards and urban and rural local bodies. Those found involved in such activities within three years of the verification date, after attaining the age of 21, may be presumed to continue to be actively involved.However, the guidelines allow authorities to reconsider if they find “documented evidence of a genuine positive shift” in the candidate’s conduct and mindset during this period.The announcement came just weeks after chief minister Adityanath, slamming the Cockroach Janta Party, AISA and other student organisations-led protests, said, “In a democracy, the path to power flows from the mandate of the people, not from chaos. Forces dreaming of a change of power in India on the lines of Bangladesh want to place the tools of anarchy in the hands of the youth instead of the torch of nation building.”The comment was in response to AISA national president Neha Bora’s remarks at the Press Club in Delhi that the objective is “regime change” and that she was inspired by how Bangladesh’s Gen Z “showed the way”.Reacting to the changes, Samajwadi Party spokesperson Ashutosh Verma said, “These are the rules of a cowardly government. What does regime change mean? It is not a change in the system, it is a change in power.” PTI reported.Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajpoot also objected to the new rules, saying, “If young people protest, it is not violence. If they stage a sit-in, it is not violence. If they protest against paper leaks, it is not violence.”