Jairam Ramesh emphasized the need for a Constitutional amendment to enable reservations for SCs, STs, and OBCs to exceed 50%….reports Asian Lite News
The Congress party has urged Parliament to pass a law allowing reservations to exceed the 50% cap. This call came a day after Janata Dal (United), an NDA constituent, demanded that the increased quota in Bihar be included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.
At a JD(U) national executive meeting on Saturday, the party expressed concern over a Patna High Court verdict that struck down the Bihar government’s decision to raise the quota for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) from 50% to 65%. The JD(U) passed a political resolution urging the BJP-led Union government to include the State’s law in the Ninth Schedule to prevent judicial review.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, noted that the Congress has consistently advocated for all State laws related to SC, ST, and OBC reservations to be included in the Ninth Schedule, similar to a Tamil Nadu law in 1994. He welcomed JD(U)’s demand but criticized their ally BJP for remaining silent on the issue.
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Ramesh pointed out that including reservation laws beyond the 50% limit in the Ninth Schedule is insufficient, as a 2007 Supreme Court decision allows such laws to be subject to judicial review. He emphasized the need for a Constitutional amendment to enable reservations for SCs, STs, and OBCs to exceed 50%.
He clarified that the 50% limit is not explicitly mandated by the Constitution but has been established through Supreme Court rulings. Ramesh highlighted that this demand is a key promise of the Indian National Congress for the Lok Sabha elections and challenged the Prime Minister to clarify his stance. He urged that a Constitutional Amendment Bill be introduced in the next Parliament session and called on JD(U) to move beyond merely passing resolutions.
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