Congress urges Modi govt to implement quota for OBCs, Dalits, Adivasis in private institutions

It also reiterated its demand for the government to announce a timeline and roadmap for the caste survey and removal of 50% cap on reservation.

New Delhi: Congress on Monday urged the Modi government to bring a legislation to operationalise quota provided for OBCs, Dalits and Adivasis in private educational institutions in the Constitution, as it accused the ruling BJP of sleeping over the issue for the past ten years despite the Supreme Court putting its stamp of approval on the Constitutional amendment.

It also reiterated its demand for the government to announce a timeline and roadmap for the caste survey and removal of 50 per cent cap on reservation. The demands were made by party's OBC Department Chairman Anil Jaihind, SC Department head Rajesh Lilothia and Adivasi Congress chairman Vikrant Bhuria at a press conference.

Jaihind said the UPA government had enacted Article 15(5) through the Constitution (93rd Amendment) Act to provide reservations in educational institutions for Dalits, Adivasis, and OBCs but the provision for quota in private educational institutions was challenged in the Supreme Court.

However in January 2014, he said the Supreme Court upheld the amendment in full and as in the subsequent Lok Sabha elections, Narendra Modi assumed power. "In the past 11 yeas, the Modi government has not framed an enabling legislation to operationalise it. We urge the government to do it immediately," he said.

Lilothia said the 50 per cent cap on reservation is "the biggest obstacle to social justice" and the Congress wants it to be breached. "Just like Rahul Gandhi and the Congress forced the government to conduct a caste census, we will also get this 50 per cent cap on quota removed," he said.

Referring to the 10 per cent quota to the poor in general category, he said the Supreme Court had declared it constitutional, showing that the 50% cap could be crossed. "If the BJP can do this for the general category, then why can't it do it for the deprived and the exploited," Lilothia said.

Bhuria said, "when Rahul Gandhi raised the issue of caste census, BJP leaders raised questions. This shows that the BJP and Narendra Modi have never been in favour of a caste census. Modi has taken a U-turn because he has realised this is a very big revolution."

He said they want to know what is the roadmap of the BJP government for caste census. "What is its timeline and what will be its details? The demand from the BJP government and Narendra Modi is that we do not want headlines on caste census, we want a timeline and deadline for caste census," he said.