July 1, 2024
1 min read

Congress demands law to exceed 50% reservations quota

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.

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.

ALSO READ: Pradhan slams Congress amid NEET-UG row

Previous Story

No Chance PTI Can Release Founder: Fawad Chaudhry

Next Story

Indian envoy explores economic ties with Iran-India Biz Chamber

Latest from India News

‘India sent clear message to Pak’

Delivering the remarks at the Indian Consulate, Tharoor noted the visit by the members of the all-party delegation to the 9/11 Memorial was their first stop Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday

Indian diaspora in Japan backs Operation Sindoor

Members of the Indian diaspora in Japan have strongly endorsed Operation Sindoor, India’s targeted military response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and

What Sri Lanka Can Learn from Pahalgam

If Sri Lanka’s support for India in combating terrorism is genuine, how can Pakistan—widely accused of using terrorism as a tool against India—be treated as an equal partner….writes A. Jathindra While references
Go toTop

Don't Miss

India, Japan hold meeting on climate change, COP26

Both sides agreed to further strengthen the bilateral cooperation on

Positive FPI Inflows Signal Growth for Indian Markets

There was a total net inflow of Rs 2,82,338 crore