Congress will bring govt to its knees over SC reservation, 'decisive action' in two days: Surjewala

The Congress on Friday said it will bring the government to its knees for “sabotaging” job quotas for the SCs, STs and the OBCs, warning it of “decisive action” in the next two days.

Against the backdrop of a recent Supreme Court judgement, Congress leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala and Kumari Selja accused the BJP and the RSS of conspiring to end reservation for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.

Last week, the Supreme Court said states are not bound to provide reservation in appointments or promotions. The apex court verdict upheld the Uttarakhand government’s contention on the issue.

“There are two options before the government and we will force them on their knees on behalf of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes till they accept,” Surjewala, who is the party’s chief spokesperson, said.

He said the options are to go back to the Supreme Court and seek a review, or bring in an ordinance or legislation to undo the judgment.

Surjewala said many Congress members have filed petitions in their individual capacities against the judgment.

“And in the next two days, we are going to take a decisive step in this regard,” he said.

He did not elaborate whether he was referring to a legal remedy against the Supreme Court verdict or the district-level protests that the Congress will hold on Sunday.

At their joint press conference here, Surjewala and Haryana Congress chief Kumar Selja claimed that the BJP and RSS have been "sabotaging" reservation to the oppressed sections of society.

Surjewala said the prime minister should have sought an explanation from the BJP government in Uttarakhand its stand in the apex court.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi should apologise before the country and dismiss the Uttarakhand chief minister,” he said.

Surjewala and Selja charged that it is in the DNA of the BJP and the RSS to try to erase reservations and take away the rights of the deprived sections.

Selja said the Congress will stage protests on Sunday at the district-level to "expose" the Modi government's "conspiracy to end reservation" for SCs, STs and OBCs.

The Supreme Court's ruling was related to pleas on Uttarakhand government's September 2012 decision to fill up all posts in public services without providing reservations to the SCs and STs.

"In view of the law laid down by this court, there is no doubt that the state government is not bound to make reservations,” the bench of justices L Nageswara Rao and Hemant Gupta said.

“There is no fundamental right which inheres in an individual to claim reservation in promotions," it added.

The Congress leaders also claimed that cases of atrocities against Dalits in the country have been on the rise under the BJP government. They said there was a 20 per cent increase in such cases during the five years of the BJP government in Haryana.