Parading his repertoire histrionics, Rawle, in high dudgeon, ripped to shreds the list of candidates selected by the September 19 annual entrance test. Of the 1,300 applicants, 103 were selected, none of them Maharashtrian.

Members of the Sthaniya Lokadhikar Samiti, a Sena affiliate which campaigns for the ``rights of Maharashtrians'', also staged a protest outside the premises warning that the workshop would be closed if it fails to comply.

Rawle later told Express Newsline that ``locals'' should be preferred over ``outsiders'' when it came to jobs in the state. ``I tore the list of selected candidates when I visited the workshop today. We want to see the selected candidates' domicilecertificates. Most of them have given `care-of' addresses which proves they are from other states.''

Asked why candidates should not be taken on merit, Rawle alleged that the authorities had deliberately failed the Maharashtrians. ``This used to happen earlier at the Reserve Bank of India, Bank of India, Air-India and other places. But the Shiv Sena put an end to it. Now all these places have to give preference to locals,'' he claimed.

Chief workshop manager, P S Gupta, explains that there are no rules for reservation other than for scheduled castes and tribes for recruitment of trade apprentices. ``These tests are conducted ever year to impart technical training in this field. However, employment is not guaranteed. Whenever we want to conduct the test, we give a notification to the local employment agencies and the Regional Directorate for Apprenticeship Training. Because no advertisement is put in the papers, it is mostly locals who apply for the test. All procedures are carried out in accordance withthe Apprentice Training Act, 1961. We cannot go against government rules.''

Rawle says though there are no rules as such, the government's guidelines say local people should be given priority for employment oppurtunities. He added that S K Agarwal, area general manager, Central Railway, had contacted him but no solution had been arrived at till now.