In a major outreach to marginalised communities ahead of the 2024 general elections, the Congress party on Sunday promised to consider reservations for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the higher judiciary, earmark a portion of the general budget for them and include the poorer sections among them in the economically weaker section (EWS) quota.
These promises, part of the social justice resolution approved in the party plenary, are important as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been able to increase its tally in the SC and ST seats of the Lok Sabha, Congress leaders said, declining to be named.
Of the 131 SC and ST seats in the Lok Sabha, the BJP bagged 77, up from 67 in the 2014 polls. The additional seats helped the BJP increase its tally to 303 from 282 in the 2019 Parliamentary elections.
The Congress also did a U-turn on the women reservation bill, which was passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010, and said that it will “ensure its passage with appropriate provision for reserved categories within the 33%.” In 2010, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government had rejected demands of its allies and other parties to bring a quota within the quota.
The plenary promised a “radical new policy package of social justice” that includes a National Council for Social Justice on the lines of the Prime Minister-led National Development Council. The proposed body will not only review the progress and gaps in implementing India’s social justice policies and laws, but will also tangibly safeguard them.
The party committed itself to conduct a socio-economic caste census along with the decennial census. The caste census shall also enumerate de-notified and nomadic tribes. The resolution also promised a dedicated ministry for OBCs, the largest social group in India.
“To redress the discrimination faced by the students from SC, ST, OBC and minority communities in educational institutions, the Congress Party commits to enact a special act called the Rohith Vemula Act to protect and safeguard their right to education and dignity,” the party said. Vemula committed suicide after he was suspended from the University of Hyderabad.
The party will also consider reservation in the higher judiciary. “To ensure that the judiciary is reflective of the social diversity of India, the Congress Party shall consider reservations for SCs-STs-OBCs in the higher judiciary. In the same spirit, reforms will be undertaken to create Indian Judicial Service,” the resolution said.
In its resolution on international affairs, the party expressed “deep concern” over the prevailing situation along the Line of Actual Control between India and China.
“India needs to communicate this clearly without obfuscation, and urgently enhance capabilities to deter China from attempting any military coercion along the LAC. At the same time, the guiding principles enshrined in the 2005 India-China agreement on the boundary issue need to be strongly reaffirmed in any engagement with China. Finally, any and all measures need to be undertaken to defend the territorial integrity of India, which the Congress Party firmly commits to,” the party said.
The party also hit out at the Centre on the issue. “Sadly, the government has failed to take the people of India into confidence about the repeated transgressions by Chinese military at various points across the Line of Actual Control, while it continues to engage with China in an unstructured manner. This has emboldened China to be even more aggressive,” it said.