The Congress today provided its first official reaction to the Supreme Court's judgment on the sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for reservation in government jobs and educational institutions, with party president Mallikarjun Kharge saying the party was opposed to implementing the creamy layer concept for SCs and STs while also indicating that it was not in agreement with the idea of sub-classification of the communities.
Kharge, in a video message, recalled that the Scheduled Castes got reservation for the first time as a result of the Poona Pact of 1932 reached between B.R. Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi, and that it later got Constitutional recognition and its implementation in jobs and educational institutions was also due to the contributions made by Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.
Voicing opposition to introducing the creamy layer concept in reservation for SCs and STs, Kharge said that the most important thing is that the basis of reservation was never the economic development of any individual or community for these communities.
“Rather the aim has been to end the untouchability that has been prevalent in our society for thousands of years. And it has not get been eliminated from our society. Several examples are coming before us every day,” he said.
“This is why, it is wrong to even talk about creamy layer in SC-ST. The Congress party is opposed to this,” Kharge said.
The Congress president noted that even after 70 years, majority of the posts reserved for SCs and STs in the government services remain vacant. In what appears to be an indication of the Congress's disagreement with the idea of quota within quota for SCs and STs, he said, “Even after 70 years, in government jobs, when you look at the recruitment of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, you find that the existing vacancies are also not getting filled up and majority of the posts lie vacant. This means that the people belonging to this community, even together, are unable to fill these posts. They are still unable to compete with people belonging to the general categories.”
He attacked the government for not dealing with the judgment during the just concluded Budget Session of Parliament. “If the government had wanted, it could have in this very session resolved the issue through a Constitutional amendment. The Modi government brings new bills within two to three hours, so this was also possible,” he said.
Kharge attacked the government for allegedly finishing off jobs by gradually selling off Public Sector Units and said the BJP's “anti-Dalit and anti-Adivasi mentality” is constantly hitting at reservation.
The Congress, he said, is consulting intellectuals, experts and NGOs to firm up its stand on the finer aspects of the judgment.