CWC calls for reservation upper limit to be raised

In an attempt to win over caste groups and tribal voters ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Saturday called for a higher reservation limit for the SCS, STS, and OBCs while it slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for aggravated casteism, communalism and regionalism due to his "divisive and discriminatory policies".

- Saubhadra Chatterji

The Congress, which has lost the lion's share of its vote bank in states such as Bihar and UP in the post-Mandal Commission politics, said on Saturday, "The CWC calls for increasing the existing upper limit of reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and OBCS". The push for higher quotas along with its demand for a caste census is seen as the Congress's attempt to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party's Hindutva politics with caste arithmetic.

The party alleged that the Modi government has stubbornly refused to conduct a caste census and said, "This refusal in the face of a universal demand has exposed the BJP's lack of commitment to social and economic justice and its bias against the backward classes, Dalits and tribal people. In this context, the CWC also calls for increasing the existing upper limit of reservations for scheduled castes, CWC scheduled tribes and OBCs." 

At the same time, the Congress tried to attack the BJP, which has 77 MPs on the 131 SC and ST seats in the Lok Sabha, for increasing attacks on the backward castes. In its resolution, the CWC said, "In his first Independence Day speech, the Prime Minister had called for a 10-year moratorium on casteism, communalism and regionalism. Ironically, the three evils have aggravated in the last nine years thanks to the divisive and discriminatory policies adopted by the Prime Minister, his government and his party. He has not acted against those who committed atrocities against the poor and vulnerable people, especially women, minorities, Dalits and Adivasis."