Congress bats for increasing upper limit of reservations for SCs, STs, OBCs

Hyderabad: The Congress on Saturday called for increasing the existing upper limit of reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and OBCs.

In a resolution adopted at its first meeting after being reconstituted, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) also called for the conducting of a caste census.

The Congress' top decision-making body expressed grave concern at "increasing unemployment and continuous rise in prices, especially of essential commodities".

"The prime minister's so-called Rozgar Melas are a hoax to cover up the abject failure to create, as promised, two crore jobs a year. The failure to conduct the decennial Census, due in 2021, is a national and an international shame," the resolution said.

It said one of the consequences is that an estimated 14 crore of the poorest Indians are denied their entitlement to food rations since ration cards are issued on the basis of the 2011 census.

"The CWC also underlines the stubborn refusal of the Modi government to conduct a caste census. This refusal in the face of a universal demand has exposed the BJP's lack of commitment to social and economic justice and its bias against the backward classes, Dalits and tribal people," it alleged.

"In this context, the CWC also calls for increasing the existing upper limit of reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and OBCs," the resolution said.

The CWC recalled that in his first Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called for a 10-year moratorium on casteism, communalism and regionalism.

"Ironically, the three evils have aggravated in the last nine years thanks to the divisive and discriminatory policies adopted by the prime minister, his government and his party," it alleged.

The CWC claimed that the prime minister has not acted against those who committed atrocities against the poor and vulnerable people, especially women, minorities, Dalits and Adivasis.

"The political discourse of the BJP, inside and outside Parliament, is laced with poison, promotes hate speech and violence, encourages divisive forces, and polarises society," the party's top decision-making body alleged.

The CWC said the BJP's leaders and spokespersons have "belittled and distorted" the contributions of past prime ministers, especially Jawaharlal Nehru.

"Investigating agencies have been misused to target political leaders and carry on a political vendetta against them. The BJP government has practically destroyed the principles and practices of cooperative federalism," the resolution further alleged.

Top Congress leaders held deliberations at the first meeting of the new CWC focusing on preparing a comprehensive road map for ensuring the party's victory in the upcoming Assembly polls in five states and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and general secretaries K C Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh, among others, were present at the meeting.