Reservation

Maratha activist Manoj Jarange on Wednesday called off his indefinite fast, nine days after its launch for the OBC quota demand, citing pleas from members of the Maratha community to withdraw his hunger strike. Speaking to his supporters in Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, Jarange said he had decided to call off the fast keeping in mind the sentiments of the Maratha community. We will deal with those who have hurt the Maratha community, Jarange said. Jarange sat on a hunger strike on September 17, his sixth in a year, to demand reservation to the Maratha community under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. "I have decided to call off the fast after repeated pleas from my community members. Those responsible for harassing the Maratha community will not be spared," Jarange said and appealed to Marathas to refrain from attending any political meetings. Jarange said the Maratha community suffered a lot in the last 70 years. "We want the reservation for a better future

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday accused leaders from "three generations" of the Nehru-Gandhi family, including former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi, of opposing reservation. He also said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should refrain from giving "anti-India statements", and asked him to clarify his stand on the issue of reservation. Addressing a press conference here, Bawankule said he does not support the statements made by his party's Rajya Sabha member Anil Bonde and Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad against Rahul Gandhi. Gaikwad kicked up a row by announcing a Rs 11 lakh reward to anyone chopping off Rahul Gandhi's tongue for his remarks on scrapping the reservation system, while Bonde said the Congress leader's tongue should be singed. Speaking about these remarks, Bawankule said, "I do not support the statements made by Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad and BJP's Rajya Sabha member Anil Bonde. They should refrain from making such ...

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is against reservation for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes, and his prejudice against the provision came out in the open during his interaction with students of Georgetown University in the US, the BJP said on Tuesday. The BJP's accusation came after Gandhi told the students at the prestigious university that the Congress would think of scrapping reservations when "India is a fair place", which he said is not the case right now. Latching on to the Congress leader's remark, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "Rahul Gandhi, who pleads and claims to be saving the Constitution, has said in America that he (his party) will scrap reservation when the conditions so warrant a fairness." "With this, the prejudice against reservation which Rahul Gandhi has in abundance got reflected in America," the former Union minister said, and alleged that the Congress leader's campaign to save the Constitution and save reservation is

Latching on to Rahul Gandhi's remarks on the issue of reservation, BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday claimed that the Congress is conspiring to end reservation and asked people belonging to the deprived sections to be cautious in the wake of his "dangerous" statement. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister was reacting to Gandhi's remarks that Congress will think of scrapping reservations when India is a fair place, which is not the case right now. The BSP chief said the Congress never implemented OBC reservation nor conducted caste census when it was in power. "Now it is dreaming of coming to power under its cover (of doing caste census). Beware of this drama of theirs (Congress), which will never be able to conduct caste census in the future," she said on X. "Now also beware of this drama of the supreme leader of the Congress party, Shri Rahul Gandhi, in which he has said abroad that when India will be in a better condition, they will end the reservation of SC, ST and OBC. It is cle

Navigating government corridors as a lateral entrant to the position of CEO of the Punjab CSR Authority, I quickly learned that fresh ideas often wither without the right groundwork

Union minister Chirag Paswan on Tuesday asserted that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre has reaffirmed its "commitment towards SCs, STs and OBCs" by asking the UPSC to withdraw the advertisement for "lateral entry" into the bureaucracy. Addressing a press conference here, Paswan also slammed the Congress-led opposition for "selective criticism" of the ruling NDA and accused the previous governments of failure to fill up posts reserved for the deprived castes. "I thank my Prime Minister for seeking cancellation of lateral entry, on behalf of my Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas). This government has set a precedent. Hopefully, regimes of future will show a similar sensitivity to public sentiments", Paswan said. Asked about the criticism being faced by the government over the issue, he said "When the opposition points a finger at us, it needs to remember three fingers get pointed at itself. Why did these parties, while in power, ensure recruitments against posts reserved for SCs

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday termed as an "anti-national step" the government's move of recruiting public servants through lateral entry, alleging that the reservation of SCs, STs and OBCs is being "openly snatched away" by such an action. The former Congress president also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "attacking the Constitution by recruiting public servants through the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh instead of the Union Public Service Commission". Gandhi's attack came after it emerged that 45 specialists would soon join key posts of joint secretaries, directors and deputy secretaries in different central ministries. Usually, such posts are manned by the officers of all-India services -- the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFoS) -- and Group A services, among others. "Reservation of SC, ST and OBC classes is being openly snatched away by recruiting through lateral entry on ...

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday alleged the BJP is deliberately making recruitments in jobs in a manner that the SC, ST, OBC classes can be kept away from reservation. He asserted it is necessary to fully implement the provisions of economic, social and political justice contained in the Constitution and that is why the Congress is demanding a caste census for social justice. In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge said, "BJP, which has ripped apart the Constitution, has made a double attack on reservation!" "Today the Modi government has issued an advertisement to fill at least 45 posts of Joint Secretary, Directors and Deputy Secretary at the Centre through lateral entry. Is there SC, ST, OBC and EWS reservation in this?" Kharge alleged. "Under a well-planned conspiracy, the BJP is deliberately making such recruitments in jobs so that SC, ST, OBC classes can be kept away from reservation," the Congress president alleged. The "reservation scam" in the appointment of 69,

Asserting that the idea of denying reservation to SCs and STs on account of the creamy layer concept is "condemnable", Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said the government should have bought a legislation in Parliament to nullify the Supreme Court judgement on the issue. Earlier this month, a seven-judge Bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud ruled in a 6:1 majority judgement that state governments were permitted to sub-classify communities within the SC list based on empirical data. Supreme Court judge Justice B R Gavai had said that states must evolve a policy for identifying the creamy layer even among the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Schedule Tribes (ST) and deny them the benefit of reservation. "Who do you want to benefit by bringing a creamy layer? By bringing a creamy layer (concept) on one hand you are denying untouchables and giving to those who have enjoyed privileges for thousands of years. I condemn this," Kharge told reporters ...

The Union Cabinet on Friday asserted that there was no provision for a creamy layer in the reservation for SCs and STs in the Constitution given by B R Ambedkar. The Union Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, held a detailed discussion on the Supreme Court judgement on the sub-categorisation of reservation for SCs and STs as granted in the Constitution. "It is the well thought view of the Union Cabinet that the NDA government is firmly committed to the provisions in the Constitution given by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar," Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters here. He said there was a detailed discussion in the Union Cabinet meeting on a recent Supreme Court judgement that made certain suggestions on the reservation for the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). "According to the Constitution given by B R Ambedkar, there is no provision for a creamy layer in the SC-ST reservation," Vaishnaw said. He asserted that the ...

Reservation quota: Holding placards, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members of RJD, CPI(ML) raised slogans against the BJP and JD(U) outside the Parliament on Thursday

The verdict came on references to revisit the five-judge constitution bench judgement of 2004 in the case of EV Chinnaiah versus State of Andhra Pradesh

The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) will hold the 'Aarakshan Bachao Janyatra' on the reservation issue in parts of Maharashtra from July 25, party chief Prakash Ambedkar said. Talking to reporters here on Tuesday, Ambedkar demanded that the Kunbi caste certificates issued without the people applying for it be cancelled and political parties clear their stand on the reservation issue. He also claimed the demand for the implementation of the "sage soyare" (blood relatives) notification amounted to "adulteration" of the quota and courts have given decisions against it earlier. Activist Manoj Jarange has been demanding implementation of the government's draft notification that recognises Kunbis as sage soyare of Maratha community members. He has been demanding that Kunbi certificates be issued to all Marathas, thus making them eligible for quota benefits. Kunbi, an agrarian group, is part of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. However, some OBC activists recently launched an ...

The Karnataka cabinet has approved a bill mandating 100 per cent reservation for Kannadigas in private firms for Group C and Group D posts, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Tuesday. The decision was taken in the Cabinet meeting held on Monday, he said. "The Cabinet meeting held yesterday approved a bill to make recruitment of 100 per cent Kannadigas mandatory for 'C and D' grade posts in all private industries in the state," Siddaramaiah said in a post on X. "We are a pro-Kannada government. Our priority is to look after the welfare of the Kannadigas," the CM said. According to sources in the law department, the 'Karnataka State Employment of Local Candidates in the Industries, Factories and Other Establishments Bill, 2024' will be tabled on Thursday in the Assembly. On the appointment of 'Local Candidates', the bill, a copy of which is with PTI, says, "Any industry, factory or other establishments shall appoint fifty percent of local candidates in management categories and sev

The two-judge bench of Calcutta HC emphasised the total absence of legislative policy in the 2012 scheme that governed the State's authority to classify any group as OBC

AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said the BJP wants to get more than 400 seats in the Lok Sabha polls as it wants to end reservation. Kejriwal also reiterated his claim that Home Minister Amit Shah will be made the next prime minister and Yogi Adiyanath will be removed as Uttar Pradesh chief minister if the BJP returns to power. "The people of BJP have always been against reservation. They will change the Constitution and end reservation of SC/ST/OBC after coming to power," he said at a joint press conference along with Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav here. Kejriwal claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made a rule that anyone over 75 years of age will not be given any post in the government and the organisation and will be retired. L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi were retired as per this rule and several BJP leaders, as per this rule, were removed or not given ticket. "PM Modi is going to cross the age of 75 next year and has decided

The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) has recommended an increase in the reservation quota for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in public employment in Punjab and West Bengal. The Commission's decision comes after a review of the current reservation policies, oral statements, and documentary evidence, aiming to align with the directives laid out by the Supreme Court in the Indra Sawhney case, according to an advisory. Currently, Punjab allocates 25 per cent of public employment positions to Scheduled Castes and 12 per cent to OBCs, totalling 37 per cent reservation. The NCBC has proposed enhancing the OBC quota by an additional 13 per cent, bringing the total OBC reservation in public employment to 25 per cent. This adjustment will adhere to the Supreme Court's ceiling of up to 50 per cent reservation for socially and educationally backward classes. D K Tiwari, Additional Chief Secretary of the Punjab Government, appeared before the NCBC on February 22, expressing the .