TFP Bureau, Raipur, December 16, 2024: The Chhattisgarh Congress launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of obstructing reservation policies and misleading the public on quotas for deprived classes. Senior Congress spokesperson Surendra Verma criticized the BJP, alleging that it is fundamentally opposed to reservations and conspires to dismantle the rights of marginalized communities whenever it gets the opportunity.
Verma condemned the BJP for stalling the Reservation Amendment Bill, which was unanimously passed by the state assembly over two years ago. The bill proposes 76% reservation: 13% for Scheduled Castes, 32% for Scheduled Tribes, 27% for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and 4% for economically weaker sections among unreserved classes. He accused the BJP of deliberately keeping the bill “stuck” at the Raj Bhavan.
“The BJP claims to provide 50% reservation for OBCs, but this is blatantly false,” Verma stated. He added that the Congress government in Chhattisgarh had implemented a fair reservation policy based on population proportions, but the BJP’s inaction is depriving people of their rights. “If the BJP were serious about social justice, the deprived classes would have already started benefitting from this policy,” he said, demanding the BJP clarify how long the bill would remain pending.
The Congress also accused the central government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, of systematically harming the reserved categories by reducing government job opportunities. “Over the past 10 years, the Modi government has privatized public sector enterprises, cut down on government recruitment, and bypassed reservation norms by appointing individuals from capitalist backgrounds directly to senior positions,” Verma alleged.
He further criticized the BJP for prioritizing corporate interests over public welfare, accusing it of selling national assets like Balco and initiating deforestation in Hasdeo. “While BJP ministers show eagerness to intervene in other states, they remain silent on the reservation bill affecting the people of Chhattisgarh,” Verma remarked.
The Congress spokesperson also accused BJP leaders and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) figures like Mohan Bhagwat of openly opposing reservation. He called the BJP’s governance anti-social justice and accused it of systematically undermining the rights of local and marginalized communities.
“Social justice is the right of the people of Chhattisgarh. The BJP’s actions are an attack on this right,” Verma said. He urged BJP leaders to break their silence on the pending bill and take responsibility for ensuring the rights and privileges of the state’s reserved classes are upheld.
